H.R. 1

In November 2018, the American people went to the polls and resoundingly rejected the culture of corruption in Washington. They elected a historic Democratic House majority driven by candidates who promised to repair our broken democracy, and restore openness, transparency and unity to Congress. House Democrats delivered on that promise with H.R. 1, a bold and transformative suite of reforms that will strengthen American democracy and return political power to the people. With this legislation – which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on March 8, 2019 – we can make elections clean and fair, end the dominance of big money in our politics and ensure that public servants put the public’s interests ahead of special interests.

H.R. 1 at a Glance

CLEAN AND FAIR ELECTIONS

  • Improve Access – H.R. 1 expands access to the ballot box by taking aim at institutional barriers to voting. Patchwork and cumbersome registration systems, disenfranchisement and limited voting hours are roadblocks to a more participatory democracy. H.R. 1 will create automatic voter registration across the country; ensure that individuals who have completed felony sentences have their full rights restored; expand early voting and simplify absentee voting; and modernize the U.S. voting system.
     
  • Promote Integrity – H.R. 1 commits Congress to build the record necessary to restore the Voting Rights Act as embodied by House passed H.R. 4; commits Congress to delivering full congressional voting rights and self-government for the residents of the District of Columbia, which only statehood can provide; prohibits voter roll purges like those seen in Ohio, Georgia and elsewhere; and ends partisan gerrymandering to prevent politicians from picking their voters.
     
  • Ensure Security – H.R. 1 ensures that American elections are decided by American voters without interference by enhancing federal support for voting system security, particularly paper ballots, increasing oversight over election vendors, and requiring the development of a national strategy to protect U.S. democratic institutions.
     

END THE DOMINANCE OF BIG MONEY IN POLITICS

  • Guarantee Disclosure – H.R. 1 shines a light on dark money in politics by upgrading online political ad disclosure and requiring all organizations involved in political activity to disclose their large donors. H.R. 1 also breaks the so-called ‘nesting-doll’ sham that allows big-money contributors and special interests to hide the true funding source of their political spending.
     
  • Empower Citizens – H.R. 1 gives political power to everyday Americans, creating a multiple matching system for small donations, thereby allowing the American people to exercise their due influence in our politics. This new 21st century system of citizen-owned elections will break special interests’ stranglehold on Congress and lay the groundwork for an agenda that serves the American people. H.R. 1 also reaffirms that Congress should have the authority to regulate money in politics, pushing back on the wrong-headed Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court.
     
  • Strengthen Oversight – H.R. 1 ensures that there are cops on the campaign finance beat that will enforce the laws on the books. H.R. 1 tightens rules on super PACs and restructures the Federal Election Commission to break the gridlock and enhance its enforcement mechanisms. It also repeals Mitch McConnell’s riders that prevent government agencies from requiring commonsense disclosure of political spending.
     

ENSURE PUBLIC SERVANTS WORK FOR THE PUBLIC INTEREST

  • Fortify Ethics Law – H.R. 1 breaks the influence economy in Washington and increases accountability by expanding conflict of interest law and divestment requirements, slowing the revolving door, preventing Members of Congress from serving on corporate boards and requiring presidents to disclose their tax returns.
     
  • Impose Greater Ethics Enforcement – H.R. 1 gives teeth to federal ethics oversight by overhauling the Office of Government Ethics, closing loopholes for lobbyists and foreign agents, ensuring watchdogs have sufficient resources to enforce the law and creating a code of ethics for the Supreme Court.
     

For H.R. 1 bill text, see here.

For a section-by-section of the bill, see here.

For a sampling of H.R. 1 endorsements from leading grassroots advocacy organizations across the country, see here.

H.R. 1 has the support of 237 co-sponsors, including:

  • Democracy Reform Task Force Chair Rep. John Sarbanes
  • Speaker Nancy Pelosi
  • Leader Steny Hoyer
  • Whip James Clyburn
  • Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Lujan
  • Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries
  • Caucus Vice Chair Katherine Clark
  • DCCC Chair Cheri Bustos
  • DPCC Chair David Cicilline
  • DPCC Co-Chair Matt Cartwright
  • DPCC Co-Chair Debbie Dingell
  • DPCC Co-Chair Ted Lieu
  • Steering and Policy Committee Co-Chair Rosa DeLauro
  • Steering and Policy Committee Co-Chair Barbara Lee
  • Steering and Policy Committee Co-Chair Eric Swalwell
  • Junior Caucus Representative Jamie Raskin
  • Freshman Class Representative Katie Hill
  • Freshman Class Representative Joe Neguse
  • Chairman Elijah Cummings
  • Chairman Peter DeFazio
  • Chairman Ted Deutch
  • Chairman Eliot Engel
  • Chairman Raul Grijalva
  • Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson
  • Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren
  • Chairwoman Nita Lowey
  • Chairman James McGovern
  • Chairman Jerry Nadler
  • Chairman Richard Neal
  • Chairman Frank Pallone
  • Chairman Collin Peterson
  • Chairman Adam Schiff
  • Chairman Bobby Scott
  • Chairman Adam Smith
  • Chairman Mark Takano
  • Chairman Bennie Thompson
  • Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez
  • Chairwoman Maxine Waters
  • Chairman John Yarmuth
  • Rep. Alma Adams
  • Rep. Pete Aguilar
  • Rep. Colin Allred
  • Rep. Cindy Axne
  • Rep. Nanette Barragan
  • Rep. Karen Bass
  • Rep. Joyce Beatty
  • Rep. Ami Bera
  • Rep. Don Beyer
  • Rep. Sanford Bishop
  • Rep. Earl Blumenauer
  • Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester
  • Rep. Suzanne Bonamici
  • Rep. Brendan  Boyle
  • Rep. Anthony Brindisi
  • Rep. Anthony Brown
  • Rep. Julia Brownley
  • Rep. G.K. Butterfield
  • Rep. Salud Carbajal
  • Rep. Tony Cardenas
  • Rep. Andre Carson
  • Rep. Ed Case
  • Rep. Sean Casten
  • Rep. Kathy Castor
  • Rep. Joaquin Castro
  • Rep. Judy Chu
  • Rep. Gil Cisneros
  • Rep. Yvette Clarke
  • Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay
  • Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver
  • Rep. Steve Cohen
  • Rep. Gerald Connolly
  • Rep. Jim Cooper
  • Rep. Lou Correa
  • Rep. Jim Costa
  • Rep. Joe Courtney
  • Rep. TJ Cox
  • Rep. Angie Craig
  • Rep. Charlie Crist
  • Rep. Jason Crow
  • Rep. Henry Cuellar
  • Rep. Joe Cunningham
  • Rep. Sharice Davids
  • Rep. Danny Davis
  • Rep. Susan Davis
  • Rep. Madeleine Dean
  • Rep. Diana DeGette
  • Rep. Suzan DelBene
  • Rep. Antonio Delgado
  • Rep. Val Demings
  • Rep. Mark DeSaulnier
  • Rep. Lloyd Doggett
  • Rep. Mike Doyle
  • Rep. Veronica Escobar
  • Rep. Anna Eshoo
  • Rep. Adriano Espaillat
  • Rep. Dwight Evans
  • Rep. Abby Finkenauer
  • Rep. Lizzie Fletcher
  • Rep. Bill Foster
  • Rep. Lois Frankel
  • Rep. Marcia Fudge
  • Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
  • Rep. Ruben Gallego
  • Rep. John Garamendi
  • Rep. Sylvia Garcia
  • Rep. Jesus Garcia
  • Rep. Jared Golden
  • Rep. Jimmy Gomez
  • Rep. Vincente Gonzalez
  • Rep. Josh Gottheimer
  • Rep. Al Green
  • Rep. Deb Haaland
  • Rep. Josh Harder
  • Rep. Alcee Hastings
  • Rep. Jahana Hayes
  • Rep. Denny Heck
  • Rep. Brian Higgins
  • Rep. James Himes
  • Rep. Kendra Horn
  • Rep. Steven Horsford
  • Rep. Chrissy Houlahan
  • Rep. Jared Huffman
  • Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
  • Rep. Pramila Jayapal
  • Rep. Hank Johnson
  • Rep. Marcy Kaptur
  • Rep. William Keating
  • Rep. Robin Kelly
  • Rep. Joseph Kennedy
  • Rep. Ro Khanna
  • Rep. Dan Kildee
  • Rep. Derek Kilmer
  • Rep. Andy Kim
  • Rep. Ron Kind
  • Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick
  • Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi
  • Rep. Ann McLane Kuster
  • Rep. Conor Lamb
  • Rep. Jim Langevin
  • Rep. Rick Larsen
  • Rep. John Larson
  • Rep. Brenda Lawrence
  • Rep. Al Lawson
  • Rep. Susie Lee
  • Rep. Mike Levin
  • Rep. Andy Levin
  • Rep. John Lewis
  • Rep. Daniel Lipinski
  • Rep. Dave Loebsack
  • Rep. Alan Lowenthal
  • Rep. Elaine Luria
  • Rep. Stephen Lynch
  • Rep. Tom Malinowski
  • Rep. Carolyn Maloney
  • Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney
  • Rep. Doris Matsui
  • Rep. Ben McAdams
  • Rep. Lucy McBath
  • Rep. Betty McCollum
  • Rep. Donald McEachin
  • Rep. Jerry McNerney
  • Rep. Gregory Meeks
  • Rep. Grace Meng
  • Rep. Gwen Moore
  • Rep. Joe Morelle
  • Rep. Seth Moulton
  • Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
  • Rep. Stephanie Murphy
  • Rep. Grace Napolitano
  • Rep. Donald Norcross
  • Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton
  • Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
  • Rep. Tom O'Halleran
  • Rep. Ilhan Omar
  • Rep. Jimmy Panetta
  • Rep. Chris Pappas
  • Rep. Bill Pascrell
  • Rep. Donald Payne
  • Rep. Ed Perlmutter
  • Rep. Scott Peters
  • Rep. Dean Phillips
  • Rep. Chellie Pingree
  • Rep. Mark Pocan
  • Rep. Katie Porter
  • Rep. Ayanna Pressley
  • Rep. David Price
  • Rep. Mike Quigley
  • Rep. Kathleen Rice
  • Rep. Cedric Richmond
  • Rep. Max Rose
  • Rep. Harley Rouda
  • Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard
  • Rep. Raul Ruiz
  • Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger
  • Rep. Bobby Rush
  • Rep. Tim Ryan
  • Rep. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan
  • Rep. Linda Sanchez
  • Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon
  • Rep. Jan Schakowsky
  • Rep. Brad Schneider
  • Rep. Kurt Schrader
  • Rep. Kim Schrier
  • Rep. David Scott
  • Rep. Jose Serrano
  • Rep. Terri Sewell
  • Rep. Donna Shalala
  • Rep. Brad Sherman
  • Rep. Mikie Sherrill
  • Rep. Albio Sires
  • Rep. Elissa Slotkin
  • Rep. Darren Soto
  • Rep. Abigail Spanberger
  • Rep. Jackie Speier
  • Rep. Greg Stanton
  • Rep. Haley Stevens
  • Rep. Tom Suozzi
  • Rep. Mike Thompson
  • Rep. Dina Titus
  • Rep. Rashida Tlaib
  • Rep. Paul Tonko
  • Rep. Norma Torres
  • Rep. Xochitl Torres Small
  • Rep. Lori Trahan
  • Rep. David Trone
  • Rep. Lauren Underwood
  • Rep. Jeff Van Drew
  • Rep. Juan Vargas
  • Rep. Marc Veasey
  • Rep. Filemon Vela
  • Rep. Pete Visclosky
  • Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
  • Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman
  • Rep. Peter Welch
  • Rep. Jennifer Wexton
  • Rep. Susan Wild
  • Rep. Frederica Wilson