House Democrats are poised to pass a sweeping electoral reform bill — a top policy priority that has emerged as a target for Senate Republicans. The House is scheduled to vote on the legislation, known as H.R. 1, on Wednesday. The legislation — spearheaded by John Sarbanes John Peter Spyros SarbanesEfforts to secure elections likely to gain ground in Democrat-controlled Congress Former Md. senator Paul Sarbanes dies at 87 Democrats were united on top issues this Congress — but will it hold? MORE (D-Md.) with the support of Democratic 236 co-sponsors — aims to expand voting rights through provisions including the creation of automatic voter registration, increased election security by pushing back on foreign threats and making Election Day a national holiday for federal workers. ADVERTISEMENT Democrats unveiled the legislation on their first day back in control of the House, underscoring its importance to their agenda. Proponents of the bill argue it's necessary to crack down on corruption in upcoming elections. “Our democracy faces threats from both the inside and outside,” Rep. Dean Phillips Dean PhillipsOvernight Health Care: State vaccine rates fall along red, blue divide | CDC study: Vaccination rates lower in rural counties Minnesota takes joy in beating New York for last House seat Bold leadership is necessary to curb violence against youth MORE (D-Minn.) said in a statement. “Nowhere is that more apparent than in digital political communication and advertising. From dark money groups circumventing disclosure requirements, to foreign governments interfering in elections, it is time to update laws to protect our democracy.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiGOP leaders face new calls to boot Greene Biden, Bass press for police reform after meeting Floyd family Kinzinger calls for Greene to be removed from GOP conference after Holocaust remark MORE (D-Calif.) added at the press conference announcing the bill that "restoring the people's’ faith in government is really our agenda." The measure also aims to tackle campaign finance reform by overturning Citizens United, increasing transparency in campaign donations and prohibiting coordination between super PACs and candidates. Portions of the bill appear to be directed specifically at the administration, including a provision requiring the president and vice president to disclose a decade’s worth of their tax returns. One of the more controversial provisions would create a 6-to-1 federal campaign match on small donations and has been met with strong pushback from Republicans, who argue taxpayer dollars should not be used for campaign purposes. The GOP is expected to push back on the measure via a motion to recommit which would amend the measure at the eleventh hour on the floor. “I mean that's such a dangerous bill that there are a lot of opportunities to showcase some of the radical elements like billions of dollars of taxpayer money going to political campaigns and some the voter fraud and things like harvesting provisional ballots are embraced by the Democrats even though they criticized it in North Carolina they embraced it in California,” House Minority Whip Steve Scalise Stephen (Steve) Joseph ScaliseGOP leaders face new calls to boot Greene Kinzinger calls for Greene to be removed from GOP conference after Holocaust remark Auschwitz Memorial calls Greene Holocaust comments a 'sad symptom of moral and intellectual decline' MORE (R-La.) told The Hill. The party has successfully utilized the procedural tool twice since losing the majority, forcing Democrats to take difficult votes. Pelosi has attempted to crack the whip on moderates from breaking with party lines after Republicans managed to make last-minute changes to a gun bill last week. ADVERTISEMENT Even if Democrats are able to successfully get the legislation through the House, it’s considered dead on arrival in the Republican-controlled Senate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSchumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission GOP leaders face new calls to boot Greene MORE (R-Ky.) has routinely used his daily speeches on the Senate floor to mock the legislation, which he’s nicknamed the “Democrat Politician Protection Act." In one floor speech he called out a provision that would make Election Day a federal holiday. “This is the Democrat plan to restore democracy? A brand-new week of paid vacation for every federal employee who would like to hover around while you cast your ballot?” McConnell asked from the Senate floor. “Just what America needs, another paid holiday and a bunch of government workers being paid to go out and work for I assume ... our colleagues on the other side, on their campaigns,” McConnell added. Emergency declaration The Senate appears to have the votes to pass a resolution blocking Trump’s emergency declaration, after Sen. Rand Paul Randal (Rand) Howard PaulRand Paul responds to Colbert on vaccines: 'Try to ignore your bias' Suspicious package sent to Rand Paul home appears nontoxic, sheriff says Rand Paul receives suspicious package containing white powder at home MORE (R-Ky.) said he couldn’t support the president’s action. Paul, speaking at a Republican dinner in Kentucky over the weekend, said he couldn’t support giving a president “extra-constitutional” powers. “I can’t vote to give the president the power to spend money that hasn’t been appropriated by Congress. We may want more money for border security, but Congress didn’t authorize it,” Paul said, according to the Bowling Green Daily News. Paul elaborated in a Fox News op-ed published on Sunday night that he would vote for the resolution of disapproval once it comes up on the Senate floor. In addition to Paul, GOP Sens.<doc-sep>WASHINGTON – Create automatic voter registration. Force presidents to make their tax returns public. Turn over congressional redistricting to independent commissions. Bar federal lawmakers from settling discrimination cases with public money. The House passed a sweeping anti-corruption and government ethics package Friday that would fundamentally reshape how campaigns are run, how elections are conducted and how officeholders conduct themselves. The measure, known as the For The People Act or H.R. 1, is a collection of what Democrats consider good-government proposals, some of which have been years in the crafting. Many Democrats ran – and won – on a platform that called for weeding out government corruption, curbing the influence of big donors, and restoring voter protections to minority communities. The measure was approved 234-193 along party lines. "H.R. 1 restores the people's faith that government works for the public interest, the people's interest, not the special interest," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Friday morning on the steps of the U.S. Capitol surrounded by members of her caucus. It "is fundamental to a democracy that people believe that actions taken here will be in their interest." The bill has no chance to become law. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said it's a "terrible bill" that he won't give any floor time. GOP critics say the measure is an unconstitutional maneuver that would enable voter fraud, saddle taxpayers with unnecessary costs and tilt elections in favor of Democrats. "This bill is a Democrat push to elect more Democrats and to put more money into the pockets of members of Congress and anyone running for election ... under the guise of campaign finance reform," said Rodney Davis, R-Ill., the top Republican on the Committee on House Administration, which handled the bill. Related:Voting rights: Rep. Marcia Fudge is on a mission and coming to a state near you Related:New Jersey bill would keep Trump off 2020 state ballot unless he releases tax returns Here are some of the major components of the bill: Expanding the voting pool Aside from voting rights, the bill seeks to increase voter turnout by expanding early voting, allowing same-day registration and requiring states to set up automatic registration for federal elections for eligible voters. The measure also would require states to automatically register felons once they've completed their sentences. Currently 12 states – Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming – bar automatic restoration. And it would require states to permit voters to register on Election Day, a requirement Republicans say would make verification harder and lead to increased fraud. A proposal by Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., that would have allowed 16-year-olds the chance to cast a ballot in federal elections, was defeated Thursday 305-126. McConnell said the moves are unnecessary if the goal is to increase voter participation. "What is the problem that we're trying to solve here? We had the highest turnout last year since 1966 in an off-year election," he told reporters Wednesday. "People are flooding to the polls ... because they're animated. They're interested. This is a solution in search of a problem. What it really is is bill designed to make it more likely that Democrats win more often." Curbing special interests, big donors The bill attempts to curtail the power of special interests and large donors, a long-sought goal ever since the Supreme Court paved the way in 2010 for unlimited campaign giving in its Citizens United ruling. Congressional candidates who receive at least $50,000 from small donors would have those donations of $200 or less matched. Related:Exclusive: Three-quarters of the secret money in recent elections came from 15 groups Related:Why Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should support eliminating limits on campaign contributions The bill also requires political parties to divulge their large donors, requires presidential inaugural committees to list any donor giving more than $1,000, bans foreign donations to federal campaigns, and requires disclosure of those behind online political ads. And it would give the Federal Election Commission more power to discipline campaign committees that violate rules by reducing the number of commissioners from six to five (with no more than two from the same party). Supporters of the change argue many violations go unpunished because the current makeup – three Democrats and three Republicans – often leads to deadlock. Requires presidential tax returns President Donald Trump would no longer be able to keep his tax returns under wraps if the bill becomes law. The measure would require presidents, vice presidents and candidates for the White House to release their annual tax filings. It also would require the president and the vice president to file a financial disclosure form within 30 days of taking office. Trump's refusal to release his returns, which would presumably disclose information about his business empire, has frustrated Democrats who want the president to follow tradition in releasing them. "President Trump is now governing while also owning a business with international investments," said Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., who has pushed the proposal. "The Constitution faces unprecedented threats due to this arrangement." Trump has declined to release his tax returns – despite earlier promises he would – saying they're under audit. Mandates independent redistricting States must redraw their congressional districts every 10 years. Only four – Arizona, California, Idaho and Washington – leave the task of redistricting to an independent panel. The For the People Act would require every state (except the seven that have only one House seat) to appoint an independent commission. The bill is being voted on only two months after the U.S. Supreme Court decided it would take up cases of potential gerrymandering in two states: North Carolina and Maryland. The concept appears to have overwhelming public support. Nearly three of every voters (73 percent) support removing partisan bias from redistricting, "even if it means their preferred political party will win fewer seats," according to the Campaign Legal Center. Settling discrimination cases When Texas Rep. Blake Farenthold was accused in 2015 of sexual harassment, the Corpus Christi Republican agreed to pay $84,000 in taxpayer funds to settle the claim before resigning from office.<doc-sep>The American Civil Liberties Union dealt a blow Monday to Democrats’ new election overhaul legislation, saying the bill does too much damage to the First Amendment and the storied rights group cannot support it. ACLU officials said they support parts of the bill, such as making it easier to register to vote, but said the legislation attempts to control even the mere mention of a politician, which goes too far. “They will have the effect of harming our public discourse by silencing necessary voices that would otherwise speak out about the public issues of the day,” the ACLU’s national political director and senior legislative counsel wrote in a 13-page letter announcing opposition. Democrats plan to put the bill, H.R. 1, on the chamber floor for a vote later this week. They’ve cast it as their top legislative priority, after saying last year’s elections were tainted by too many problems with voting, and too much money controlling the outcomes of elections and legislating. The bill is going nowhere beyond the House. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday he won’t even bring it to his chamber’s floor. But opposition from the ACLU could damage the bill’s bona fides with the left. “When groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, who have traditionally supported the Democratic party, echo my concerns with H.R. 1, it underscores why election reform legislation should not be developed in a partisan manner,” said Rep. Rodney Davis, the top Republican on the House Administration Committee, which approved the bill last week. The ACLU said it objected to lobbying restrictions Democrats wrote into the bill, saying they’re so broad they could prevent a former official from communicating with a senior government policymaker in any agency for up to eight years. The group also said new disclosure rules are so broad as to be unworkable, preventing independent organizations from taking political action based on something they’d read or talked about even before someone became a candidate. Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.<doc-sep>"This sprawling 622-page doorstop is never going to become law. I certainly don't plan to even bring it to the floor here in the Senate," McConnell said from the Senate floor. McConnell added that "there's always improvements and reforms to be made, but this certainly isn't." ADVERTISEMENT House Democrats are poised to pass the sweeping anti-corruption bill, known as H.R. 1, this week, kicking the legislation to the GOP-controlled Senate. Democrats unveiled the legislation on their first day back in control of the House, underscoring its importance to their agenda. Proponents of the bill argue it's necessary to crack down on corruption in upcoming elections.<doc-sep>
House Democrats passed a sweeping electoral reform bill in a 234-193 party-line vote on Friday. The For The People Act, better known as H.R. 1 — spearheaded by Rep. John Sarbanes John Peter Spyros SarbanesEfforts to secure elections likely to gain ground in Democrat-controlled Congress Former Md. senator Paul Sarbanes dies at 87 Democrats were united on top issues this Congress — but will it hold? MORE (D-Md.) — aims to expand voting rights, implement new ethics rules and increase transparency in elections, according to its proponents. The bill includes provisions to enable automatic voter registration, strengthen resources to stave off foreign threats on elections and make Election Day a national holiday for federal workers. ADVERTISEMENT Democrats unveiled the legislation shortly after the start of the 116th Congress, underscoring its importance in their agenda. Supporters of the bill argued it's necessary in order to tackle corruption and dark money in politics. Under the legislation, the Citizens United Supreme Court case, which got rid of some limits on corporate and union political spending, would be overturned and coordination between super PACs and candidates would be prohibited. Freshman Rep. Josh Harder (D-Calif.) lamented that Washington is home to 11,000 registered lobbyists — "25 lobbyists per member of Congress," he said — and recounted a lobbyist dinner he attended on one of his first nights in Washington. "I thought it was going to be a chance to talk about some of the issues that I hear from families in our community," he said. "Imagine my surprise when the only thing these lobbyists wanted to talk about was what would benefit their clients." "It's far too easy for well-financed lobbyists to crowd out the needs of our families in favor of their clients," he continued. Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiGOP leaders face new calls to boot Greene Biden, Bass press for police reform after meeting Floyd family Kinzinger calls for Greene to be removed from GOP conference after Holocaust remark MORE (D-Calif.) said Friday that enactment of the package is vital if Congress is to restore the voters' trust in the idea that Congress is working in the public interest. "It is fundamental to our democracy that people believe — they believe — that actions taken here will be in their interest," she said. "That is what this legislation will help to restore." Portions of the bill appear to directly take aim at President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE, including language requiring the president and vice president and candidates for those positions to disclose a decade’s worth of their tax returns. But Republicans have blasted the bill as a power grab by Democrats, arguing it limits free speech and overreaches on states rights. Top Republicans have also slammed Democrats for failing to work across the aisle on bipartisan reforms, with many saying there are provisions in the bill they could have supported. Language that would create a 6-to-1 federal campaign match on small donations has been one of the most controversial for Republicans, who argue taxpayer dollars should not be used for campaign purposes. “The most important bill that the democrat socialist majority has is to take more of your money and give it to the politicians who want to vote for this bill. How ironic," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy Kevin McCarthyGOP leaders face new calls to boot Greene Kinzinger calls for Greene to be removed from GOP conference after Holocaust remark Auschwitz Memorial calls Greene Holocaust comments a 'sad symptom of moral and intellectual decline' MORE (R-Calif.) said on the floor ahead of the vote. "Now, even though H.R. 1 has such broad spectrum of where to go, it was referred to 10 committees —imagine that, 10 committees but 40 percent of this bill has not even been marked up." Provisions advocating for D.C. statehood, a prohibition on gerrymandering and language allowing federal workers to take up to six days of paid leave to work at polls also received strong pushback from the GOP. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSchumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission GOP leaders face new calls to boot Greene MORE (R-Ky.) has vocally opposed the bill, which Republicans have dubbed the “Democrat Politician Protection Act," asserting the measure is going nowhere in the upper chamber.