On the recordApril 26, 2010
the recent lawsuit by the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, against Goldman Sachs underscores that much still needs to be done to improve transparency and restore confidence in our financial system. Indeed, that is why we must have the debate on Wall Street reform. The nearly 1/2 of all U.S. households that own securities deserve a strong cop on the beat that has the tools it needs to go after swindlers and scam artists, and pursue the difficult cases arising from our increasingly complex financial markets. Our economy's success depends in no small part on restoring confidence in our capital markets and a smoothly operating capital formation process. The bill I am introducing this afternoon, the Modernizing and Strengthening Investor Protection Act, would improve the ability of the SEC to protect investors by strengthening its ability to bring enforcement actions, addressing issues revealed by the recent Madoff fraud, and modernizing its ability to obtain critical information.
