That’s how long it has been since we learned of Congressman Charlie Rangel’s (D-NY) most recent failure to disclose financial assets, since the New York Times first called for him to step down as Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, and since the House Ethics Committee began investigating Rangel’s previous violations, respectively.

Yet through all that — despite all the revelations of not disclosing income and not paying taxes — Mr. Rangel still runs the committee that oversees the IRS and enforces the tax laws for all Americans, except for himself.

To allow Mr. Rangel to continue to serve as Chairman is the same as allowing a confessed bank robber to serve as Chairman of the Banking Committee during the trial.

The reputation and integrity of this body has suffered serious damage by the actions of Mr. Rangel, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not lived up to her promise to make this the most honest and ethical House in history.

So last week, I said I would give Mr. Rangel until this week to voluntarily resign the chairmanship of Ways and Means, or I would introduce a Privileged Resolution to force his removal. Mr. Rangel has not stepped down, so I have introduced this resolution.

And Democrats continue to support him. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer already has said he’ll move to block this attempt.

Mr. Rangel’s list of violations continues to grow. You or I would have paid tens of thousands of dollars in interest and penalties had we committed similar tax evasions. Rangel apparently is immune from penalties, which is unethical, but especially unscrupulous when you consider his powerful Chairman position.

This is not the first time I have moved to have Mr. Rangel removed from his chairmanship. I offered a similar Privileged Resolution in February, but Democrats under Speaker Pelosi blocked consideration of the bill.

When the Ethics Committee first began investigating Mr. Rangel on July 31, 2008, Speaker Pelosi publicly stated that the investigation would be complete before the end of 2008. But with the probe now well into its second year, the investigation has already been expanded twice to include new charges of tax and ethics violations by Mr. Rangel.

My hope is that Mr. Rangel’s resignation from his position is just the tip of the iceberg in a real push to make this House more ethical since Speaker Pelosi apparently is unwilling to do so herself.

They’ve spent the past week clamoring for Congressman Joe Wilson’s apology, even though the President has accepted his apology, twice now.

While Democrats will not let up on Wilson, one person who needs to not just apologize, but step down, is Congressman Charlie Rangel. Revelations continue to show that he has ignored the country’s tax laws, which, as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, he is responsible for writing.

The Congressman continues to show his disregard for the law, and he should apologize, in addition to stepping down from his chairman position.

And many people agree with this belief. Exactly one year ago today, the New York Times called for Rangel to step down. Since then, others have called for his resignation, including the Washington Post, the Buffalo News and other Congressional leaders.

Yet Rangel refuses to step down, won’t even apologize for his tax wrongdoings, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues to back him.

As a reminder of what Rangel should apologize for, here are a few assets Rangel has failed to disclose, which violate tax and Congressional rules:

• A Merrill Lynch Global account worth between $250,000 and $500,000
• Tens of thousands of dollars in municipal bonds
• Between $30,000 and $100,000 in rent from a building he owned in New York
• A checking account worth between $250,0000 and $500,000
• Three vacant lots in New Jersey valued between $1,000 and $15,000
• Stock in PepsiCo worth between $15,000 and $50,000
• $10,000 in back taxes from rental income from a villa in the Dominican Republic.

Clearly, this is a broad range of disclosures, or lack thereof. And while everyone makes mistakes, this is an egregious list of violations that have been known about for a year now.

If a working American makes an honest mistake on their income tax, they pay penalties and interest along with their back taxes. But Chairman Rangel has paid just the outstanding back taxes he has admitted himself, and declared the matter closed, without paying a nickel of penalties or interest.

This is a blatant example of the kind of hypocrisy we have come to expect from Speaker Pelosi’s House of Representatives – a House of Hypocrisy.