House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi said late Monday that he is open to considering new ethics proposals drafted by Gov. Deval Patrick and other legislators.

"The governor, legislative leaders of both parties and individual lawmakers are discussing thoughtful proposals to reform our ethics laws and, while Massachusetts already has among the toughest standards in the nation, any necessary changes proposed by these groups will be fully considered," DiMasi, a Boston Democrat, said in a statement.

The Speaker was responding a proposed ethics rule change submitted by state Reps. Martin Walsh (D-Dorchester) and John Quinn (D-Dartmouth). The proposal calls for a six-year term limit on House Speaker, public hearings of the House Ethics Committees and stiffer penalties for illegal lobbying.

The Boston Globe reported Tuesday that Quinn and Walsh are planning to ask the House to vote on the plan before casting their votes for the next House Speaker, a move that could highlight DiMasi's current ethics issues. DiMasi is currently under investigation by the state Ethics Commission for payments allegedly made to close associates for lobbying on Beacon Hill.

Quinn and Walsh's proposal is the third that has been introduced since state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson's arrest for allegedly accepting $23,500 in bribes. Gov. Deval Patrick has created an ethics task force to look into the issue and, last week, House Minority Leader Brad Jones said a group of Republicans are examining how House ethics rules may be changed.