Press Releases

ECU Statement on First H.R. 1 Hearing

Jan 29, 2019

End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller released the following statement on the House Judiciary Committee’s hearing on H.R. 1, the For the People Act:

“The American people are fed up with Washington where the deck is stacked in favor of big donors and special interests at the expense of everyone else. Today’s hearing on the For the People Act made it abundantly clear that the bill will unrig the system. It will fight corruption, restore the voice of the people, and safeguard the most precious right of all Americans: the right to vote. This legislation will ensure that our government puts the interests of everyday families first.

“The Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee made a shameful attempt at distorting the truth about H.R. 1. Instead of engaging in meaningful dialogue about giving the American people a bigger voice in our elections, they stood by the big money special interests that fill their campaign coffers. It’s a prime example of why Washington isn’t working.

“But today’s attempt–and any future attempts–at attacking H.R. 1 will fall flat because the American people are demanding sweeping reforms.

“We thank Chairman Nadler, and other Democratic members of the committee for examining the bill and discussing its impact, and we will continue to fight in support of these reforms.”

The For the People Act is borne out of the 2018 midterm elections that saw a majority of Democrats run on a platform of cleaning up corruption and unrigging the system in Washington. The comprehensive bill will restore voting rights, safeguard the integrity of elections, reform ethics laws, and end the dominance of big money in politics. In October, ECU organized a letter, signed by three-quarters of the incoming class, demanding reform be the first item on the agenda in the new Congress.

To watch a stream of the hearing, click here.

For a section-by-section of H.R. 1, click here.

For the H.R. 1 bill text, click here.

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