Congressional Ethics Committees Release 2024 Guidance On Convention Activity

The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics has issued a "Dear Colleague" Letter, and the U.S. House Committee on Ethics has issued a Pink Sheet advisory, reminding Members and staff of the rules applicable to attending events and receiving gifts during the course of the national party conventions. The Senate "Dear Colleague" also reminds Members, officers, and employees of the key rules governing their participation in campaign activity.

While the recently issued guidance is substantively the same as that issued by the ethics committees for past conventions, the advisories provide reminders of an important convention-specific rule. During the dates of the national party conventions, a Member of the House or Senate may not attend an event honoring that Member if the event is paid for directly by a federal lobbyist or lobbyist employer. As in past years, on some key practical points, what "honoring" means still differs significantly between the House and the Senate.