The Nation : Panel Charges Lawmaker

The House Ethics Committee formally charged Rep. Austin J. Murphy (D-Pa.) with six counts of violating House rules involving misuse of public funds and allowing someone else to cast his votes during absences from the House floor. The panel will determine if sanctions should be recommended for House action. The panel also said that it will conduct preliminary probes of Rep. Mario Biaggi (D-N.Y.) and Richard H. Stallings (D-Ida.). On Tuesday, Biaggi was convicted in federal court of illegally accepting gratuities from a Brooklyn political boss, illegal interstate travel and obstruction of justice. There have been allegations that Stallings’ campaign committee made $5,800 in loans this year to him and an aide.