Senate Judiciary Panel Backs Bill To Tighten Water Act's Sentencing Rules

摘要

The Senate Judiciary Committee has unanimously approved legislation that would strengthen the criminal penalties for Clean Water Act (CWA) violations, clearing the bill for swift adoption by the upper chamber and providing Democrats with one of the first legislative responses to the Gulf oil spill.rnThe bill, S. 3466, generally directs the United States Sentencing Commission - the federal agency that develops guidelines for federal prosecutors and judges to use when considering sentences for the convicted - to increase the penalties for criminal CWA offenses and to "reflect the intent of Congress that penalties for the offenses ... appropriately account for the actual harm to the public and the environment from the offenses," according to the bill language. The bill would also require those convicted of criminal violations of the CWA to pay restitution to those who were affected by the violations, as opposed to the current law that makes restitution optional.