March 08, 2019

New Democrat Coalition Chair Statement on Passage of H.R. 1

The New Democrat Coalition (NDC) Chair Derek Kilmer (WA-06) released the following statement on H.R. 1 passing the House of Representatives:

“For a long time, folks have been justifiably frustrated with the performance of the government.  There’s been too much money, too many special interests, and too little accountability. Today, Congress finally took a step forward in hopes of ensuring that government works better for the American people. Reducing the role of big money in politics, strengthening ethics rules so elected officials are working for the public interest, and protecting voting rights for every American, are things everyone should agree on. I’m also proud that this bill includes two bipartisan proposals I wrote – provisions that increase transparency in elections and crack down on politicians that cheat.”

H.R. 1, the For the People Act, is a sweeping campaign finance and election reform bill that seeks to restore the voice of the American people in their democracy by making it easier to vote, ending the dominance of big money in the political process and ensuring public officials work for the public interest. NDC Members proposed many of the pro-democracy, anti-corruption reforms included in the packages, ranging from election security measures, ethics reforms, transparent campaign ads, and other voting rights measures.

Earlier this week, the New Democrat Coalition endorsed H.R. 1. This is the first endorsement by the Coalition, utilizing an updated internal procedure NDC implemented earlier this year. Video from the press conference on the endorsement can be found here.

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