[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 98 (Thursday, July 18, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H4877]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CONGRATULATING HOUSE FOR EARLY ACTION IN ADDRESSING CORPORATE 
                             RESPONSIBILITY

  (Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate 
the House for their early action in addressing corporate responsibility 
and encourage the conferees to finish their work quickly so that we can 
get a bill to the President's desk before the August break.
  In April, we acted on a strong bipartisan bill to strengthen the 
accounting oversight of corporate America and punish corporate 
wrongdoing. Now, finally, the Senate has acted.
  Corporate criminals must understand that they will be prosecuted, we 
will increase their jail time, we will take away their ill-gotten 
gains. And the money we recover will go to workers and investors who 
were cheated, not to a trial lawyer windfall.
  Our economy is built on confidence, and because of a few dishonest 
executives, confidence in the market has eroded. But let our actions 
send a signal to corporate America and the American people: The era of 
``everything goes'' is over. There is a new sheriff in town.
  Let me also say to those that I read today and hear today would drag 
this out as a partisan attempt for gain: Playing politics with the 
lives, the jobs and the retirement savings of millions of Americans is 
shameful and will not earn you people's votes; only their contempt.
  Mr. Speaker, this is one of the most important issues this Congress 
is faced with. We must get our economy back on track. This is an 
important step in the process.

                          ____________________