S. 1 / H.R. 1 Update | February 19, 2021
Here are three things to know about H.R. 1:
- For the second Congressional session in a row, every Democratic House Member has signed on as a cosponsor of H.R. 1. The New Dem Coalition also endorsed H.R. 1.
- House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer announced H.R. 1 will reach the House floor the first week of March, with Leader Hoyer calling H.R. 1 “the centerpiece of Democrats’ agenda to make government more transparent and accountable to the people it serves.” In addition, the Committee on House Administration announced a hearing on H.R. 1 for February 25th.
- Members of Congress held several events to talk about the For the People Act and the immense impacts it will have in creating a 21st century democracy for the people. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and Rep. Susan Wild (PA-07) joined End Citizens United/Let America Vote Action Fund President Tiffany Muller, Pennsylvania Common Cause Executive Director Khalif Ali, and disability rights advocate Jule Ann Lieberman to discuss the urgent need for Congress to pass the bill into law.
In the News
Letters to the editor encouraging members of Congress to support S. 1/H.R. 1 continue to flood local newspapers, with new letters being published in Indiana, Connecticut, Texas, Iowa, California, Washington, Florida, New Hampshire, Oregon, San Juan Islands, Minnesota, and Maryland.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW): the nonpartisan & bipartisan origins of the For the People Act
“The policies outlined in H.R. 1/S. 1 enjoy nonpartisan and bipartisan support from commissions, think tanks, and congressional committees. We have compiled nonpartisan and bipartisan reports that have proposed remedies to key democracy reforms included in H.R. 1/S. 1. This explainer aims to disprove unfounded claims of partisanship surrounding the For the People Act.” [Read more]
NJ.com: The next GOP assault on democracy
In an editorial, the Star-Ledger Editorial Board endorsed H.R. 1/S 1, saying: “It is a reminder that we must never take free and fair elections for granted, and that much is riding on getting two bills through Congress this term. One is the For The People Act (HR-1), which would enhance and guarantee voter access. Another is the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which restores protections against discrimination that were gutted by the Roberts Court.” [Read more]
Democracy Docket: A Voter Suppression Renaissance
In an op-ed, former DNC Chair and U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez wrote: “That’s why it’s vital for Congress to restore the preclearance provision by passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For the People Act. It is important to remember that the Court did not strike down the preclearance requirement itself, and invited Congress to update the coverage formula. This should not be a partisan issue. Each party should agree that our democracy is stronger when more people can make their voices heard, not fewer.” [Read more]
Florida Politics: Florida’s leaders must fight for the “For the People Act“
In an op-ed, Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani wrote: “The timing could not be more apt. Especially after the violent insurrection at The Capitol, when we all watched in horror as a violent mob tried and failed to upend our democratic system of government, Americans are hungry for our elected officials to do good and useful work for us in Washington. First, we have to stop the bleeding, with strong COVID relief that is in the works; then we start the rebuilding, which is what the For the People Act will be all about when it comes up in a few weeks.” [Read more]
The Fulcrum: Reform in 2021: End Citizens United sees path forward on H.R. 1
In an interview with the Fulcrum, End Citizens United/Let America Vote President Tiffany Muller said, “Our top priority is making sure the For the People Act (H.R. 1/S. 1), a transformational package of anti-corruption, voting and ethics reforms, gets signed into law. And the momentum to pass the For the People Act keeps building. Signing the bill into law would end gerrymandering, make voting easier and more secure, and shine a light on dark money in politics just to name a few of the transformational reforms. Passing H.R. 1/S. 1 would finally allow us to make real progress on critical issues impacting Americans’ lives, like accessing affordable health care, lowering the cost of prescription drugs and ending gun violence.” [Read more]
Brennan Center: Democracy’s Next Battleground
“The For the People Act would have an important positive impact on the upcoming redistricting. By establishing uniform rules for drawing districts, banning partisan gerrymandering, and requiring more transparency in the map-drawing process, it could protect against the gravest threats to fair map drawing across the country.” [Read more]
The Intercept: The “For the People Act” would make the U.S. a democracy
“The very first legislation proposed by the Democratic Party majorities in both chambers — making it both H.R. 1 and S. 1 — is the ‘For the People Act‘ of 2021. This is appropriate, because the For the People Act is plausibly the most important legislation considered by Congress in decades. It would change the basic structure of U.S. politics, making it far more small-d democratic. The bill makes illegal essentially all of the anti-enfranchisement tactics perfected by the right over the past decades. It then creates a new infrastructure to permanently bolster the influence of regular people.” [Read more]