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Nov 9, 2007 -- Vote Urged for Public Corruption Bill The Campaign Legal Center is urging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to bring S.1946, the Public Prosecution Improvements Act of 2007, to a final Senate vote as soon as possible. This bipartisan legislation, introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), is essential to restoring public confidence in government by strengthening the public corruption laws and increasing the ability of federal prosecutors to hold public officials accountable for their actions.
The full letter is below.
November 9, 2007
The Honorable Harry Reid
528 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Majority Leader Reid:
S. 1946, the Public Prosecution Improvements Act of 2007 was recently reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with strong bipartisan support. The Campaign Legal Center strongly urges you to schedule a Senate floor vote on S. 1946 before the end of the first session of the 110th Congress.
The Public Prosecution Improvements Act, introduced by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), John Cornyn (R-TX) and Jeff Sessions (R-AL), is a piece of legislation that will help combat public corruption and reassure citizens that their elected representatives are truly working to remove and punish those who abuse both their office and the public's trust. The bill strengthens the federal laws against public corruption and provides federal prosecutors with additional resources to combat official misconduct.
In particular, the legislation would amend the illegal gratuities statute to make clear that public officials may not accept anything of value given to them because of their official position. The bill expands the definition of what constitutes an "official act" under the bribery and gratuities statutes.
The legislation not only broadens the scope of the public corruption laws, but also significantly increases the statutory penalties for committing public corruption offenses. It extends the statute of limitations for serious public corruption crimes, such as bribery, deprivation of honest services, and extortion involving a public official, from five to six years.
The unending string of scandals that has plagued Washington over the past couple of years has served to undermine public confidence in our government. Enactment of the Public Prosecution Improvements Act, together with the strong lobbying and ethics reform legislation passed earlier this year, are two steps in the right direction towards restoring the public's faith in their elected officials. The Campaign Legal Center urges you to strongly support this bipartisan measure and to bring it to a final Senate vote as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Meredith McGehee
Director of Public Policy
cc: Members of the U.S. Senate
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