By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top Republican introduced a resolution on Tuesday to expel from the U.S. House of Representatives Democrat James Traficant, convicted last week of bribery, corruption and racketeering charges.

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In introducing the measure, Rep. James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee (news - web sites), expressed hope that the nine-term Ohio lawmaker would resign, negating the need for the chamber to take action against him.

"Felons belong in jail and not in Congress," Sensenbrenner said in a statement on the House floor. "He has broken the public trust by breaking the law, and if he will not voluntarily leave this House, our duty is to remove him."

Sensenbrenner gave no indication when he would seek a vote on his resolution to expel Traficant. But some top House aides said it likely would be next week.

Charles Straub, Traficant's chief of staff, declined comment on the resolution, but said, "He has given me no indication he plans to resign. As far as I know, he still plans not to resign."

Last Thursday, a jury in U.S. District Court in Cleveland convicted Traficant, 60, of corruption and racketeering for extracting kickbacks from staff and bribes from businesses.

Traficant faces a June 27 sentencing date, when he could get up to 63 years in prison. Legal experts predict the actual prison time may be less than 10 years.

The often-pugnacious lawmaker has rejected calls by Democratic as well as Republican leaders to step down and said he plans to run for re-election this November as an independent.

Sensenbrenner called on Traficant to reconsider and step down, saying that "regretfully, this resolution is necessary as Mr. Traficant has foolishly" refused to resign.

The last House member to be expelled was Rep. Michael Myers, a Pennsylvania Democrat removed after a 1980 conviction for taking a bribe from an undercover federal agent in the FBI (news - web sites)'s "Abscam" investigation.

The House ethics committee has begun its own investigation of Traficant, having monitored his trial that lasted more than two months.

Among the options open to the committee is to recommend he be expelled or censured. Expulsion would require a two-thirds vote by the full House. A censure would need a majority vote.

Separately, any member of the House may move to have Traficant expelled from Congress, and that is what Sensenbrenner did on Tuesday.

Sensenbrenner took the action just hours after House Republican Leader Dick Armey of Texas said he believed Traficant should resign.

"I think it would be better for him, better for the House," Armey told reporters.

The ethics committee wrote Traficant a letter on Monday warning him that it would take unspecified action against him if he cast a House vote.

According to House rules, a member convicted of a crime punishable by two or more years imprisonment should not vote, yet is not specifically banned from doing so. The rule leaves it up to the convicted lawmaker to police himself.

Traficant aide Straub said on Monday that his boss does not plan to return to Capitol Hill any time soon, fearing that to do so could prompt colleagues to remove him quickly from office.

Traficant has not been to Capitol Hill this year. He has been busy on the legal front, first preparing for his trial and now getting ready for an appeal and sentencing.

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