House GOP conference Chairman Adam Putnam (Fla.) is  threatening that Republicans who refuse to comply with new earmark standards could lose their committee assignments.

Conference members who refuse to fill out a new certification form meant to improve earmark transparency should be forced to come before the GOP steering committee, which has the power to strip members of their panel assignments, Putnam said.

Other senior Republicans are discussing the idea of threatening committee assignments, but Putnam is the first to speak publicly about it, according to GOP aides.

The disclosure requirements are an outgrowth of the new earmark policy GOP members adopted at their retreat in January. It reflects an effort to provide more transparency over the billions of dollars spent on pet projects that received little scrutiny in the past and were not vetted through the usual committee process.

Although the projects proliferated when the GOP controlled Congress, Republicans now hope to gain political advantage over Democrats by taking a public stand against earmarks and calling for a yearlong moratorium. Democrats have not signed up for that call, but have cut earmarks significantly this Congress while providing more transparency.

The earmark form is part of the new guidelines on earmarks issued by House Republican leaders. The form, which members are required to fill out and sign, sets new earmark disclosure requirements.

Members also must get outside groups receiving the earmarks to certify what public funds will be used for and whether they are using at least 5 percent of their own money to pay for the project. Exceptions exist for recipients that are local, state or federal governments, or when the money will provide for a good or service that will then be used by a government.

The guidelines also ban so-called “monuments to me,” a reference to projects, centers or buildings named after a sitting member, and members are not allowed to request earmarks for “front” or “pass-through entities.”

Putnam said discussions will continue on whether a lawmaker can still request earmarks for a project that existed before the new guidelines were adopted. This could help Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.), the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, keep requesting earmarks for the Lewis Center in his district.

Among other requirements, members must certify that at least 50 percent of the requested funds will be spent by the entity named in the earmark.

Republican leaders are asking for ranking members of the subcommittees with jurisdiction over the underlying bills to enforce the new standards.

“It’s the natural place,” Putnam said.

Not all GOP lawmakers support the new standards, according to Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), the only member of the Appropriations Committee to swear off earmarks for the rest of the year. Some question how the GOP guidelines will be implemented.