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OCE Referral Regarding Rep. Don Young

December 20, 2011
Investigations

OCE Referral Regarding Rep. Don Young

On October 13, 2011, the Office of Congressional Ethics transmitted a referral to the Committee on Ethics of the United States House of Representatives regarding Representative Don Young.

Nature of Review

Representative Don Young may have accepted contributions to his legal expense fund in excess of the limitations of $5,000 per calendar year from any individual or organization. The Congressman Don Young Legal Expense Trust's disclosure report for the first quarter 2011, filed by Representative Young with the Committee on Ethics on April 20, 2011, lists twelve $5,000 contributions from twelve affiliated entities that may have been directed by a single individual.

If the twelve contributions came from a single source, the contributions may have exceeded the annual $5,000 per organization or individual contribution limit provided for in House rules and Committee on Ethics regulations governing legal expense funds.

OCE Recommendation

The Board of the Office of Congressional Ethics recommended that the Committee on Ethics further review the above allegations.

Committee Conclusion

On December 20, 2011, the Committee on Ethics released a reportindicating that it had dismissed the above allegations, but simultaneously adopted revised regulations regarding legal expense funds, which, among other changes, clarified that contributions by certain entities could be attributed to the owners of those entities.