Senator Paul S. Sarbanes (D-MD) has been selected to receive the prestigious Paul H. Douglas Ethics in Government Award from the University of Illinois. The award, established in 1992 to honor Senator Douglas, a man often labeled "the conscience of the United States Senate," was designed to honor individuals who have made a substantial contribution to promoting ethics.

According to the description of the award, "Senator Paul Douglas was a man of extraordinary integrity and vision, who brought the very best to government and set an example of what others should strive for in public service.

"The creators of the award determined that it should be given annually to an elected or career government official or former government official, at any level of government and regardless of party, or in some circumstances to a private citizen whose public actions or writings have made a significant contribution to the practice and understanding of ethical behavior in government. It should be a person whose career demonstrates or promotes respect for high standards of public service."

"The selection committee strongly felt that your efforts connected to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act embody the ethical values to which Senator Douglas devoted his career," wrote James J. Stukel, the President of the University of Illinois to Sarbanes informing him of his selection for the award.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was signed into law in July 2002 in response to the egregious loss of investor confidence resulting from the Enron and WorldCom business scandals that rocked the integrity of our financial markets.

Past recipients of the Award include Mike Mansfield, Archibald Cox, A. Earnest Fitzgerald, Arthur S. Fleming, Paul Simon, Senators Russell Feingold and John McCain, William S. Cohen, and Arthur Levitt.

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