Tag: HR1

Phillips Leads on Government Reform as H.R.1 Passes House, Authoring Five Provisions in the Landmark Package

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Rep. Phillips’s contributions to the For the People Act would combat disinformation, strengthen campaign finance enforcement, secure our elections, and restore faith in government

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the House voted to pass H.R. 1, the For the People Act, a historic voting rights, campaign finance, and ethics reform bill that included five provisions authored by Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03).

“In the face of reprehensible attempts to suppress voters and insidious foreign interference campaigns, the health of our Democracy is as urgent today as it was when I first ran for office in 2018,” said Rep. Phillips. “H.R. 1 is a critical step in the right direction, and I am proud to have contributed to this landmark legislation that ends politics as usual and returns power to the people—a key priority for Democrats and Republicans alike. This is a great day for America, and while much work remains to be done, I remain optimistic about the strength of our institutions and the trajectory of our democracy.”

H.R. 1 was the first bill Rep. Phillips co-sponsored after he was elected to Congress in 2018. Phillips’s contributions to the historic reform package include:

Continue reading “Phillips Leads on Government Reform as H.R.1 Passes House, Authoring Five Provisions in the Landmark Package”

Bold Democracy Reform Is a Cornerstone Principle for Democrats

Center for American Progress logoH.R. 1 and the Path to Anti-Corruption and Pro-Voter Solutions

One year ago, the U.S. House of Representatives—under Democratic leadership—passed historic democracy reform legislation: H.R. 1, also known as the For the People Act. In the year since the bill’s passage, momentum for bold democracy reform has surged at the local, state, federal, and presidential levels. At a time when trust in government is near an all-time low, Americans are demanding strong solutions to curb the culture of corruption and to protect their right to vote. These pro-democracy solutions would increase the likelihood of Congress passing key policies supported by hardworking American families, such as lowering prescription drug prices, protecting clean air and water, and reducing the epidemic of gun violence, to name just a few.

Americans’ expectations for democracy reform helped trigger another significant milestone: Every major Democratic presidential candidate is now running on a promise to fight for major structural democracy reform, according to the Center for American Progress Action Fund’s analysis of candidates’ policy platforms and public statements. And, as discussed below, every Democratic elected official at the federal level supports the For the People Act, which means these reforms could become a reality in the future.

The far-reaching policy solutions in the For the People Act

H.R. 1 contains three groundbreaking pillars of reform. Each pillar includes multiple policy solutions to build a stronger democracy that will more fairly represent all people, including disadvantaged communities who often have been kept from realizing the American dream: Continue reading.

House Democrats show improved response to Republican messaging votes

Democrats easily defeated a Republican motion to recommit Friday to their HR 1 government overhaul

House Democrats seem to have sharpened their response to Republican motions to recommit after the GOP twice bested the new majority using the procedural tool this year.

The improved messaging and whip operations around motions to recommit, or MTRs, since Democrats lost a second one early last week on a priority gun control bill seem to have quelled an immediate desire to overhaul the procedural tool.

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer acknowledged Friday during a colloquy on the floor with Minority Whip Steve Scalise that there’s been “consternation” within the Democratic Caucus about the GOP’s MTRs and discussion about whether the tool should be changed. But the Maryland Democrat suggested that’s not on the horizon.

View the complete March 8 article by Lindsey McPherson on The Roll Call website here.

House passes sweeping electoral reform bill

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 (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.

View the complete March 8 article by Juliegrace Brufke on The Hill website here.

McConnell works to freeze support for Dem campaign finance effort

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is pulling out all the stops to make sure not a single Republican senator backs the campaign finance and ethics reform bill that House Democrats are set to pass on Friday.

McConnell, a longtime opponent of campaign finance reform who battled the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) over the issue, made clear in December that the House proposal would never see floor time in the Senate.

He’s continued to pummel the legislation, sending a stern warning to any GOP colleague who may be thinking about supporting it.

View the complete March 8 article by Alexander Bolton on The Hill website here.

Historic “For the People Act” Passes House with Three Amendments Authored by Rep. Phillips

Rep. Phillips’s contributions to H.R. 1 strengthen democracy reform bill that must now be taken up by the Senate

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) voted for the historic democracy reform bill, H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which passed the House today. The bill is a package of ethics, voting rights and campaign finance reforms aimed at reducing the influence of special interests in our politics. It was the first bill that Phillips co-sponsored in Congress.

Rep. Phillips authored three amendments that were included in H.R. 1’s final passage. Those amendments strengthen the independence, bipartisanship and diversity of the Federal Election Commission – the nation’s election watchdog – and reinforce ethics standards for Executive Branch officials by closing a loophole that allows them to run a lobbying shop as soon as they leave government service.

The bill will now head to the Senate where Mitch McConnell has already refused to bring it to the Senate Floor for a vote. Continue reading “Historic “For the People Act” Passes House with Three Amendments Authored by Rep. Phillips”

Rep. Phillips to Host HR1 Community Conversation Saturday, March 9

As House prepares to vote, Phillips reschedules open-to-the-public reform discussion for Saturday, March 9 in Hopkins

BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA – Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) will host a free and open-to-the-public community conversation focused on H.R.1, the For the People Act, a sweeping campaign finance, ethics and electoral reform package that Phillips co-sponsored on his first day in Congress. A February blizzard forced the event, originally scheduled for February 20, to be postponed.

The House is expected to pass H.R.1 on Friday.

COMMUNITY CONVERSATION ON H.R.1 – THE “FOR THE PEOPLE ACT”

WHEN:  Saturday, March 9,  2019, Doors: 1:30 PM, Start: 2:00 PM

WHERE:  Hopkins High School Little Theater, 2400 Lindbergh Dr, Minnetonka, MN 55305

WHO:

  • Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03)
  • Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon
  • Tiffany Muller, President, End Citizens United
  • Prof. David Schultz, Hamline University

Rep. Phillips Takes to the House Floor to Voice Full Support for HR1, The For the People Act

Phillips: “We cannot address our country’s greatest challenges when we place special interests over our common interests.”

WASHINGTON, DC – This afternoon, Rep. Dean Phillips took to the House Floor to voice his full support for H.R. 1, the For the People Act. The bill is a sweeping government, ethics and election reform package and was the first bill Phillips co-sponsored in Congress. The House will vote on the bill this week.

Phillips will participate in a livestreamed town hall discussion on H.R.1 tonight at 6 PM CST on the NowThis Politics Facebook page.

Click here to view Rep. Phillips’s remarks

Below is the full text of Rep. Phillips’s remarks:

Madame Speaker, Continue reading “Rep. Phillips Takes to the House Floor to Voice Full Support for HR1, The For the People Act”

TONIGHT: Rep. Phillips to Participate in Livestreamed Town Hall on H.R.1

WASHINGTON, DC – Tonight, Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) will join other members of Congress to take questions on H.R. 1, the For the People Act in a livestreamed town hall. He will be joined by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD), the lead author of H.R. 1, and other freshmen members of Congress.

The event begins at 7:00 PM Eastern / 6:00 PM Central and will be livestreamed by NowThis Politics on their Facebook page. Questions will be submitted online via Twitter using the #TownHallForThePeople hashtag, and live Facebook comments.

H.R. 1 is a sweeping campaign finance, ethics and electoral reform package that Phillips co-sponsored on his first day in Congress. The House will be voting on the bill this week.

LIVESTREAMED TOWN HALL ON H.R. 1 – THE “FOR THE PEOPLE ACT”

WHEN: Wednesday, March 6, 2019, 7:00 PM Eastern / 6:00 PM Central
WHERE: NowThis Politics Facebook Page
WHO:
Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03)
Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD)
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA)
Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO)
Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ)