WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, January 4, Rep. Madeleine Dean (PA-4) joined the new House Democratic majority in introducing H.R. 1, the For the People Act, a sweeping package of pro-democracy and anticorruption reforms that will put the power back in the hands of the American people by ending the dominance of big money in politics; making it easier, not harder, to vote; and ensuring that politicians actually serve the public interest. 

“The American people have tasked the new Democratic House majority with ending corruption in Washington and restoring the people's voice and power in our democracy,” said Dean. “Last Thursday, we kept that promise by introducing – as our first order of business – a bold set of reforms that will return us to government of, by and for the people.” 

According to Congress's Democracy Reform Task Force, H.R. 1 makes critical reforms across three key areas: 

1) Voting Rights

 ·  Improve Access – H.R. 1 expands access to the ballot box by taking aim at key institutional barriers to voting, such as burdensome registration systems, limited voting hours and many other roadblocks. H.R. 1 creates automatic voter registration across the country, ensures that individuals who have completed felony sentences have their full rights restored, expands voting by mail and early voting and modernizes the U.S. voting system.

·  Promote Integrity – H.R. 1 fights back against Republicans’ assault on voting rights by committing Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act; prohibiting voter roll purges like those seen in Ohio, Georgia and elsewhere; and ensuring that discriminatory voter ID laws do not prevent Americans citizens from exercising their rights. H.R. 1 also ends partisan gerrymandering to prevent politicians from picking their voters and making Americans feel like their voices do not count.

·  Ensure Security – H.R. 1 ensures that American elections are decided by American voters without interference by foreign adversaries. The bill enhances federal support for voting system security, particularly paper ballots, and increases oversight over election vendors. 

2) Campaign Finance 

·  Guarantee Disclosure – H.R. 1 shines a light on dark money in politics by requiring any organization involved in political activity to disclose its large donors, which will break the nesting-doll system that allows big-money contributors and special interests to hide their spending in networks of so-called “social welfare” organizations. 

·  Empower Citizens – H.R. 1 levels the political playing field for everyday Americans, empowering individuals with a multiple matching system for small donations and allowing the American people to exercise their due influence in a post-Citizens United world, while reaffirming that Congress should have the authority to regulate money in politics. The new system of citizen-owned elections will break special interests’ stranglehold on politics and enable Congress to advance an agenda that serves the American people. 

·  Strengthen Oversight – H.R. 1 ensures that there are cops on the campaign finance beat that will enforce the laws already on the books. H.R. 1 tightens rules on super PACs and restructures the Federal Election Commission to break the gridlock and enhance its enforcement mechanisms. It also repeals Mitch McConnell’s riders that prevent government agencies from requiring common-sense disclosure of political spending. 

3) Ethics and Accountability 

·  Fortify Ethics Law – H.R. 1 breaks the influence economy in Washington and increases accountability by expanding conflict of interest law and divestment requirements, slowing the revolving door, preventing Members of Congress from serving on corporate boards and requiring presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns. 

·  Impose Greater Ethics Enforcement – H.R. 1 gives teeth to federal ethics oversight by overhauling the Office of Government Ethics, closing registration loopholes for lobbyists and foreign agents, ensuring watchdogs have sufficient resources to enforce the law and creating a code of ethics for the Supreme Court.

"The people of Montgomery and Berks Counties sent me here because they expect a government that works well - and works for them. These bills move America in that direction," said Rep. Dean.

 

###

 

For more information, please contact Matt Bieber, Communications Director for Rep. Dean, at 202-569-2879 or Matthew.Bieber@mail.house.gov.