Dear Mr. ,,,

Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about the abhorrent
behavior of former Congressman Mark Foley. I appreciate the opportunity to
hear your thoughts on this important matter.

As a father, former teacher and school principal, I am very concerned
about the safety of all children. The House of Representatives has a
responsibility to assure the safety of the House Pages, just as schools
are charged with the safety of their students. The children who work as
Pages in the Congress are in the Members' special trust. It is apparent
that the Republican Leadership violated that trust when they failed to
act on knowledge of Foley's behavior.

Though an FBI investigation is underway, I support the efforts by the
Democratic Leadership to initiate an investigation of the response of
the Republican Leadership by the Committee on Standards of Official
Conduct. It is not acceptable for elected officials to wash their hands of
responsibility by claiming that they informed the leadership. Indeed, it
appears that House Speaker Dennis Hastert and others in the Republican
leadership had knowledge of Foley's actions, yet they did nothing.
Instead, they have continued to use the Republican methods of evasion and
misinformation, and continue to avoid their fundamental role of
oversight.

The mere fact that the Republican House leadership thought it was
acceptable to report only to the Speaker demonstrates how out of touch they
are to the safety of children. A teacher who sees bruises on a
student's arm, or who is told about possible abuse, is bound by law and reason
to report those suspicions to the appropriate agencies, not just to
their superior. I will support measures, such as access to counselors,
that will promote the safety and wellbeing of House Pages.

It is time to restore integrity to the House of Representatives. I
support a full investigation, including statements made under oath by all
members involved. The Republican Leadership has failed in its
responsibility to the House Pages, and has failed in its responsibility to the
American people.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me with your concerns.
Your comments help me to better represent the people of the 15th
District of California.

Sincerely,
Mike Honda
Member of Congress