Rangel’s Parking Space Noted in Ethics Report

Rep. Charlie Rangel’s ethics investigation turned up one unexpected twist: a loophole in House rules that permits Members to park unregistered cars indefinitely in the House parking garage even though it violates tax law.

The oversight came to light in the investigation of the embattled New York Democrat, who is facing 13 counts of violating House rules — and would have been facing one more were it not for lax parking regulations.

The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct declined to charge Rangel for storing a 1972 silver Mercedes-Benz sedan in the garage for several years without registering it or applying for a reserved spot through the House Sergeant-at-Arms.

That’s because the House Garage and Parking Security office never enforced earlier, more restrictive rules prohibiting such conduct. Furthermore, the House Administration Committee has since exempted Members from the rules altogether.

“The applicable written parking policies prohibited the storage of vehicles in unreserved parking spots,” reads the ethics report dated July 21. “The investigative subcommittee’s inquiry found, however, that the written policy regarding storage was not enforced against Members. Under the current parking policy, Members are not prohibited from storing vehicles in unreserved parking spots.”

Until 2009, House parking policy prohibited Members and staff from parking vehicles, including motorcycles and bikes, in unreserved spaces in House garages, lots or designated on-street parking for more than 45 consecutive days.

But in the first meeting of the House Administration Committee in the 111th Congress — on Jan. 27, 2009 — it changed the rules without debate to shorten that length of time to 14 days.

When the committee did so, it reworded the rule so it applied solely to staffers.

Read more: (Daniel Newhauser, “Parking Space Loophole Noted in Ethics Report,” Roll Call, 08/02/2010)