Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Angie Craig (MN-02)
WASHINGTON, DC – As federal bribery and corruption charges against New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez mount, U.S. Representative Angie Craig introduced her bipartisan Gifts for Officials, Legislators and Delegates (GOLD) Standard Act to strengthen federal bribery law.
The Supreme Court’s 2016 decision in McDonnell v. United States interpreted the definition of an “official act” to be extremely narrow. This definition has made prosecution of public officials under the federal bribery statute extremely difficult in the years since.
Under Rep. Craig’s GOLD Standard Act, any approval, disapproval, recommendation, rendering of advice or investigation on any question would be considered an “official act” made by a public official, and prosecutable under federal bribery law.
“Public officials should be held to the highest ethical and legal standards – not be immune from them,” said Rep. Craig. “Senator Menendez’s case is an urgently needed reminder of the risks weak bribery laws pose to our democracy and national security. My bipartisan bill changes that to ensure public officials who abuse their office can be held accountable.”
Rep. Craig’s legislation is co-sponsored by Reps. Nancy Mace (R-SC), Eric Sorenson (D-IL) and Andy Kim (D-NJ).
“Now more than ever, we need to restore trust in our government institutions, especially in light of recent scandals involving members facing superseding indictments and multiple counts of conspiracy and obstruction on both sides of aisle. By cosponsoring this bill, we aim to close loopholes and strengthen the definition of ‘official act,’ ensuring that public officials, no matter who, are held accountable for their actions and restoring faith in the integrity of our democracy,” said the office of Rep. Mace.
“My neighbors back home in Central and Northwestern Illinois are tired of Members of Congress who put their financial interests ahead of the communities they serve,” said Rep. Sorensen. “I am proud to help introduce the GOLD Standard Act with my friend and colleague, Congresswoman Angie Craig, to strengthen anti-corruption standards and ensure Congress works for the people we represent, not outside interests.”
“In New Jersey we’ve seen scandal after scandal in pay-to-play schemes. Now more than ever we need leaders who will step up and codify anti-bribery legislation into law. That’s why I’m proud to cosponsor this bill, to try and take another step towards regaining people’s trust in their representatives,” said Rep. Kim. “We live in a time of the greatest distrust in government in modern American history. As public servants we have a duty to be truthful and faithful to our oaths of office and to the people we serve above all else. I hope members of both parties see this as a way of restoring people’s trust and join our efforts and we can all agree to hold ourselves and one another to the highest standards for the people we serve.”
The GOLD Standard Acthas been endorsed by Project on Government Oversight (POGO), Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and End Citizens United (ECU).
“There are few things more important to a functioning democracy than honest public servants,” said Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, Senior Government Affairs Manager at the Project on Government Oversight (POGO). “Unfortunately, not all government officials are model public servants. Compounding this reality is the fact that the rules meant to prevent and bring accountability in the face of public corruption are too weak and riddled with loopholes to do the job effectively. Rep. Craig and her colleagues should be commended for taking an important first step toward remedying this problem by making meaningful reforms to the honest services fraud statute and making it harder for public officials to act inappropriately in the course of their official duties. POGO applauds the introduction of this bill and we urge Congress to move swiftly to advance this and other anti-corruption reforms in the 118th Congress.”
“Over the past 36 years, the Supreme Court has made it progressively harder to prosecute public officials who engage in conduct that any rational person would consider outright bribery,” said Debra Perlin, Policy Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). “The GOLD Standard Act would help to ensure that public officials cannot trade government power for personal gain. By passing the GOLD Standard Act Congress would take a key first step towards rebuilding our public corruption laws and bring real accountability to officials who abuse their position of trust. CREW strongly endorses the GOLD Standard Act and encourages Congress to send it to the President’s desk as expeditiously as possible.”
“Too often, elected officials skirt ethics rules by accepting gifts from special interests with business before Congress. It creates a situation ripe for corruption,” said Tiffany Muller, President of End Citizens United // Let America Vote Action Fund. “The GOLD Standard Act would close this abused loophole in the federal bribery statute, ensuring our elected officials cannot be bought and paid for. We applaud Congresswoman Craig for her continued leadership in making Congress accountable to the people.”
Bill text for the bipartisan GOLD Standard Act can be found here.
Click here for a one-pager about the GOLD Standard Act.
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