The Government By the People Act (H.R. 20)
The Government By the People Act: Putting the People’s Interest First
From creating to jobs and the budget, to health care, education and environmental protection, big money warps Congress’ priorities and erodes the public’s trust in government. Put simply, the voice of the many cannot be heard over the din of the powerful few.
To fight back, Congressman Sarbanes has authored and introduced the Government By the People Act (H.R. 20) – bold new legislation that returns voice and power back to the American people and ensures that Congress works for the people’s interest, not special interests.
Through a straight-forward, three-pronged approach, the Government By the People Act would create a competitive alternative to our current campaign financing system, which is dominated by the wealthy and well-connected.
Here is how it works:
- Empower everyday citizens to fuel Congressional campaigns by providing a My Voice Tax Credit for campaign contributions.
- Amplify the voices of everyday Americans and make them just as powerful as wealthy donors through a Freedom from Influence Matching Fund.
- Protect the voices of the people, preventing Super PACs and outside special interests from drowning out small donor-backed candidates.
Backed by 160 Congressional cosponsors and an unprecedented coalition of more than 50 national organizations – including environmental, faith, women’s rights, civil rights, working families and good government – the Government By the People Act would give everyday Americans the voice in our government that they deserve. In doing so, the legislation would help restore the public's faith in Congress and would return us to a government of the many, not the money.
To learn more, visit ofby.us.
More on The Government By the People Act (H.R. 20)
While much is made of the impact that election spending has on particular contests and on the broader struggle for control of the Congress, there is far too little consideration given to the reality stated by Congressman John Sarbanes, the Maryland Democrat who says, “A lot of the moneyed impact, and in some ways the most sinister, is on the governing that happens after.”
Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), the leading House proponent of campaign finance reform, thinks much of this coverage missed the mark. While the Election Day results matter, they are only a means to the real end -- the legislation and regulation that does and does not move in the next Congress.
The public, Sarbanes believes, knows full well the insidious influence of money in politics. “The rational voter will say to himself, why should I bother voting if the person I’m voting for is a captive of special interests,” he said. “As a result, people are staying at home.”
As candidates across the country engage in another mind-bogglingly expensive election — one estimate has put the cost of the midterms at nearly $4 billion — Sarbanes has been using his own campaign to test a proposal he believes would shift the emphasis from big money to small-dollar donors.
Both groups support a bill by Rep. John Sarbanes that would create a matching fund and a $25 tax credit for small donations. The Baltimore County Democrat has emerged as a leading voice raising concerns about the influence of money in politics.
We also hear from Rep. John Sarbanes. The congressman from Maryland's Third District talks about his effort to get "small money" back into politics in the wake of the Supreme Court's Citizens United and McCutcheon decisions.
Representative John Sarbanes, a Maryland Democrat who has introduced a bill to create a matching system, argues that it would allow candidates to raise sums from ordinary citizens comparable to what they might otherwise obtain from lobbyists.
The constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision came up short in the Senate. Such things are no easy lift.
There is more and more evidence that Democrats and progressives are discovering the power of taking on big money in politics as a central issue in their campaign strategies. In the House, Nancy Pelosi has gotten most of her colleagues in the Democratic caucus (160 of them) to co-sponsor a major clean money campaign finance initiative, John Sarbanes' Government By The People Act.
Congressman Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa) recently unveiled his "Holding Congress Accountable" legislative package, which includes Congressman Sarbanes' Government By the People Act (H.R. 20).