If HR 1 passed, in whole or chunk by chunk... wow

[Blue3]

if HR 1 passed, introduced by Speaker Pelosi earlier today, that would (non-sarcastically) be ****ing fantastic. For real.

The House Democrats just introduced a single bill... as their first real legislative act of this Congress... that would (for all 50 states plus DC and Puerto Rico and the other territories):

1. return the Voting Rights Act to full force
2. create nationwide automatic voter registration
3. make Election Day a national holiday
4. mandate early voting for at least 2 weeks
5. reimburse individuals up to $50 for campaign donations
6. create a federal 6:1 matching system for individual contributions up to $200
7. enforce same-day voter registration, and create an online registration option too
8. END GERRYMANDERING with nonpartisan commissions doing all redistricting
9. end "dark money", forcing disclosures of all donors who contribute more than $10,000
10. restrict SuperPACs
11. force release of presidential, and presidential candidate, tax returns
12. give states the money they need to return to paper-backed voting records
13. BAN voter roll "purges"
14. give universal suffrage to all convicted felons, unless they're currently serving time in prison
15. increase penalties for voter intimidation
16. provide grants to help the disabled, poor, and elderly to have transportation and other resources needed to vote
17. begin the process of statehood for DC
18. ban election campaign contributions and SuperPAC spending by corporations with significant foreign ownership
19. publicize the sponsors of political ads over $500 in a national database
20. oversee spending of presidential inaugural committees
21. allow SEC and the IRS to regulate political spending activity
22. help candidates for Congress/President that a low-income or middle-class, by allowing their campaign funds to be spend on child care, elder care, health insurance, housing for the candidate
23. prohibits senior government officials from lobbying their former agencies for 2 years
24. bans corporations from making incentive payments to executive branch employees for entering government service
25. reauthorize the Office of Government Ethics and strengthen its enforcement mechanisms
26. incoming presidents would need to develop ethics plans for their transition teams, and presidents/VPs submit new financial disclosure forms within 30 days of inauguration
27. ban members of Congress from serving on for-profit boards
28. ban members of Congress from using taxpayer funds to settle employment discrimination claims
29. create a code of ethics for SCOTUS justices

https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/house-democrats-unveil-first-major-legislative-package-of-voting-campaign-finance-and-ethics-overhauls



Like, if this were to pass (maybe in 2021?)... or even broken up in chunks with it passing between this Congress and next Congress if Dems return to power... this would be fantastic.

[Blue3]

This is kind of a big ***ing deal, people... as Joe Biden would say.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

But I thought both parties were the same?

[GoTfan]

But I thought both parties were the same?

The criticism is similar to what Truman said about the Do-Nothing Congress back in 1948. Essentially, the criticism is "Why didn't they do this back in 2009 when they controlled everything?"

[Antonio the Sixth]

Next time Dems have the trifecta, they'd better ram this through.

[JA]

Next time Dems have the trifecta, they'd better ram this through.

Highly unlikely. Look at how the Democrats caved in New Jersey when they were eager to pass progressive legislation under Christie, but began to change their tune when a Democrat became Governor.

[Virginiá]

Next time Dems have the trifecta, they'd better ram this through.

Highly unlikely. Look at how the Democrats caved in New Jersey when they were eager to pass progressive legislation under Christie, but began to change their tune when a Democrat became Governor.

They didn't even pass all the election reforms that had been bottled up under Christie. They literally had all of it ready to go in a single bill, just like HR 1, and then when Murphy took office, they passed AVR and moved on.

If Democrats were swept into power in 2020 with super-majorities, you'd probably see this bill introduced mid-late 2021 with half of what it has now, and fights ensuing over basically anything that hurts corporate influence or wealthy donors, and probably a handful of Reps complaining that gerrymandering reform will hurt their ability to win (although far less of a problem since Democrats couldn't gerrymander nearly as many seats as Republicans in 2010).

It's a show bill. They know exactly what the people want, but it's rarely exactly what they would actually pass, if able.

[Fuzzy Says: "Abolish NPR!"]

They should have ran on this as the Contract For America.

[Crumpets]

HR 1s are always wishlists when a new party controls a chamber. The republicans did the same thing in 2011 and 2015 and the Democrats did the same thing in 2007. Neither party, however, did it in 2009 or 2017 because actual governing is hard.

[GoTfan]

Next time Dems have the trifecta, they'd better ram this through.

Highly unlikely. Look at how the Democrats caved in New Jersey when they were eager to pass progressive legislation under Christie, but began to change their tune when a Democrat became Governor.

They didn't even pass all the election reforms that had been bottled up under Christie. They literally had all of it ready to go in a single bill, just like HR 1, and then when Murphy took office, they passed AVR and moved on.

If Democrats were swept into power in 2020 with super-majorities, you'd probably see this bill introduced mid-late 2021 with half of what it has now, and fights ensuing over basically anything that hurts corporate influence or wealthy donors, and probably a handful of Reps complaining that gerrymandering reform will hurt their ability to win (although far less of a problem since Democrats couldn't gerrymander nearly as many seats as Republicans in 2010).

It's a show bill. They know exactly what the people want, but it's rarely exactly what they would actually pass, if able.

Thank you.

[HillGoose]

I mean a lot of that stuff sounds pretty cool.

[pbrower2a]

Count on Republicans resisting everything.

[BlueSwan]

This is an awesome bill. This is the kinda stuff they should have rammed through during the supermajority phase in 2009. What a missed opportunity.

[Mr. Reactionary]

I mean a lot of that stuff sounds pretty cool.

No, almost all of it sounds like garbage.

[7,052,770]

I mean a lot of that stuff sounds pretty cool.

No, almost all of it sounds like garbage.

Which 15+ of them are "garbage" ?

About half of these could have been plausibly proposed by a non-lowest common denominator Republican.

[lfromnj]

This is kind of a big ***ing deal, people... as Joe Biden would say.

no its not
when dems get the trifecta they maybe pass 3-4 of these items.

[Bismarck]

This is just like the GOP House passing bills to repeal The ACA. If they actually thought it could become law they wouldn’t do it.

[here2view]

This is just like the GOP House passing bills to repeal The ACA. If they actually thought it could become law they wouldn’t do it.

Then why did they spend all of summer 2017 trying to repeal it?

[Mr. Reactionary]

I mean a lot of that stuff sounds pretty cool.

No, almost all of it sounds like garbage.

Which 15+ of them are "garbage" ?

About half of these could have been plausibly proposed by a non-lowest common denominator Republican.

Basically the only ones of these id support individually are 3, 16, 23, and 28. Several of these limit freedom of speech. I think public financing of campaign speech is moronic. I think the erosion of election day to amorphous election periods lasting different amounts of time sometimes even a month is not good. I think same day registration is risky and that prohibiting accurate voter lists is dumb. I think California is a good example of why "nonpartisan gerrymandering " is just as partisan. I think DC "statehood" misses the point on what DC is supposed to be. I think federal micromanaging of local election procedures is bad. I think most of the rest just sound like dumb bs that wont accomplish anything other than Democrats demagoguery about fake news like muh tacs returns and muh Kavanaugh a cereal rapist.

Satisfied?

[Hindsight was 2020]

But I thought both parties were the same?

The criticism is similar to what Truman said about the Do-Nothing Congress back in 1948. Essentially, the criticism is "Why didn't they do this back in 2009 when they controlled everything?"

I guess the counter argument is they don’t have a bunch of blue dogs and Joe Lieberman around this time to pander too

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

This is good, except 5 and 6. The government should in no way finance any campaign.

[Badger]

Wouldn't much of this violate citizens united? As in blatantly?

[Oryxslayer]

HR 1s are always wishlists when a new party controls a chamber. The republicans did the same thing in 2011 and 2015 and the Democrats did the same thing in 2007. Neither party, however, did it in 2009 or 2017 because actual governing is hard.

[MasterJedi]

This is good, except 5 and 6. The government should in no way finance any campaign.

Government should be the only one financing campaigns. Specified amount given based on location and media market, no private donations or personal funds allowed.

[Vega]

If a Presidential candidate ran explicitly on this, and given where the Democratic caucus is at right now, I wouldn't be shocked if this didn't pass. It would be hard to welch on this and not face flames from the emboldened base.