Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 7, 1992 TAG: 9203070097
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
The ethics committee voted 10-4 on Thursday to release the names of 19 current and 5 former members who met the panel's criteria as the worst abusers.
The political stakes clearly were raised when committee members revealed just how widespread the practice was:
There were 296 current and 59 former members who overdrew their accounts at least once during the 39 months from July 1, 1988, to last Oct. 3.
Some members had more than 800 rubber checks yet were not included in the criteria for identifying the 24 worst abusers.
More than 200 times, overdrafts exceeded the net amount of a member's next paycheck.
One account holder was overdrawn by more than his monthly net pay for 35 of the 39 months.
Twenty-four people wrote overdrafts totaling more than their monthly net pay at least 20 percent of the time in the 39-month period. These are the names the committee proposes to reveal.
"Most members did not realize the situation was as serious as it was," said Rep. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., who investigated members' bad checks as a member of the ethics committee. "People are somewhat shocked at the large numbers involved."
Rep. Vic Fazio, D-Calif., chairman of the House Democrats' campaign organization, said, "There is no question that people who are going to be disclosed are going to have some explaining to do. It's going to be a serious problem for them."
by CNB