WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Dave Trott (R-Birmingham) introduced The Ensuring Trust and Honorability in Congressional Standards (ETHICS) Act, or H.R. 2678, last Thursday. The bill would require U.S. representatives to participate in yearly ethics training and awareness programs. The legislation, co-authored with Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island (D- Providence), seeks to bring House representatives on board with the trainings, as only members of the Senate currently are required to undergo them. Members of the House are not obliged. The legislation sets mandatory ethics training to begin January 3, 2018 and requiring participants to complete it within 60 days after starting service for new members. Returning members begin during each new session of Congress. In a May 25 press release, Trott said that “No one is above the law, and members of Congress must live by the laws they create” in response to the mistrust constituents have against their elected officials. “We need to close this loophole now,” Rep. Cicilline said in the press release. “This bill should be a no brainer. I look forward to continuing to work with Congressman Trott to push for a vote in the U.S. House.”