DENNIS A. CARDOZA: “Unfortunately, recent scandals have somewhat tarnished the reputation of Congress and stretched the bonds of trust…”

“Unfortunately, recent scandals have somewhat tarnished the reputation of Congress and stretched the bonds of trust between the public and their government. My amendment is quite simple and will help to restore that bond between public officials and the people that we represent. My amendment gives Federal judges discretion to increase criminal sentences in cases where public confidence in government has been violated. If a public official has been convicted of bribery, fraud, extortion, or theft of public funds greater than $10,000, a sentencing judge has within his discretion to double the length of the sentence up to 2 years for those public officials convicted of ethics violations. However, more needs to be done. With public faith in government officials weakened by scandals, we need to ensure that those who break these laws are punished appropriately. Beyond breaking the law, the perpetrators of these crimes violate the public trust by defying their fiduciary responsibility to our Constitution.”