Casten Votes for H.R.1, For the People Act
Washington, D.C – Today, U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) voted for H.R.1, the For the People Act. The bill is a historic reform package intended to restore the promise of our nation's democracy, end the culture of corruption in Washington, and reduce the role of money in politics to return the power back to the American people.
Casten said, "Today I was proud to support H.R. 1 the For the People Act. It is the biggest re-imagination of government in my lifetime and is intended to restore faith in our democratic institutions. Our political system has become increasingly focused on the privileged and powerful, drowning out the voices, experiences, and needs of everyday Americans and their families.
This bill will give the power back to the people by modernizing and securing our election systems, getting dark money out of politics, and increasing transparency. From gerrymandering to campaign finance, the deck is overwhelmingly stacked in favor of incumbent politicians. The low approval rating for Congress suggests that the public knows and understands this, and may reasonably suspect that no one with the power to fix the system has the incentive to do so. By passing H.R.1, we are giving a voice back to the people. And I have heard from countless people in DuPage County who felt like their vote wasn't recorded or counted. I'm proud to stand with my colleagues in the Majority to pass this commonsense, necessary piece of legislation. A strong democracy is not a partisan issue and we must now pressure the Senate to finish what we have started."
H.R.1 For the People Act
- H.R. 1 makes long overdue investments to protect the integrity of our elections against foreign interference and ensures confidence in election results by supporting the adoption of paper ballots and risk-limiting audits and by enhancing security requirements to protect our election infrastructure from cyberattacks.
- The For the People Act ends the dominance of big money in our politics and empowers American citizens by establishing a voluntary small-donor matching system funded by wealthy tax cheats and corporate lawbreakers, shining a light on secret money in politics through increased donor disclosure requirements, and strengthening campaign finance oversight.
- H.R. 1 also reaffirms that Congress and the States have the authority to regulate campaign contributions and expenditures – pushing back on the Supreme Court's Citizens United and Buckley decisions
- H.R. 1 makes critical changes to fortify ethics laws and increase accountability from public officials to ensure they are serving the public's interests, not special interests.
- This package prohibits Members of Congress from serving on for-profit corporate boards, slows the revolving door between public service and special interests and tightens rules on lobbyists and foreign agents, stops Members of Congress from using taxpayer dollars to settle harassment lawsuits, and requires all Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates to publicly disclose their tax returns.