Washington, DC – Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA) joined the new House Democratic majority last week to introduce the For the People Act (H.R. 1), a sweeping package of pro-democracy and anti-corruption reforms that will put the power back in the hands of the American people.
The bill will improve federal ethics laws to fight special interests, fix our broken campaign finance system to get big money out of politics, and make other improvements to strengthen our democracy. It also includes legislation Brownley co-authored with Reps. Lofgren and Lowenthal to end partisan gerrymandering by requiring states to adopt a citizen redistricting commission, as California has done.
“The American people sent a resounding message on Election Day rejecting President Trump’s culture of chaos and corruption. My Democratic colleagues and I are hard at work now to restore our democracy and return our government to one of, by, and for the people once again. This transformational legislation will finally put the power back in the hands of the American people, and I am especially pleased that H.R. 1 includes my legislation to end partisan gerrymandering and fix the redistricting process. This will help make politicians more accountable to the voters they are elected to represent.”
Read a section-by-section breakdown of H.R. 1 here.
Brownley’s first standalone bill in the 116th Congress was also focused on restoring democracy. H.R. 93, the Same Day Registration Act, requires all states to allow same-day voter registration for federal elections, just as there is in California. Same-day voter registration lowers barriers to voting, which has proven to increase voter participation. High participation in our democracy translates to representation that better reflects the needs and challenges of the people.
Issues: 116th Congress, Campaign Finance Reform, Redistricting