House Democrats unveiled details of their first bill in the new Congress on Friday — a sweeping anti-corruption bill aimed at stamping out the influence of money in politics and expanding voting rights.
This is House Resolution 1 — the first thing House Democrats will tackle after the speaker’s vote in early January.
But by making anti-corruption their No. 1 priority, House Democrats are throwing down the gauntlet for Republicans.
“Our best friend in this debate is the public,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told reporters on Friday.
There are three main planks the bill covers: campaign finance reform, strengthening the government’s ethics laws, and expanding voting rights.
Democrats know they don’t actually have a shot of passing HR-1 through the Senate, nor getting it off the president’s desk.
Correction: Due to an incorrect source paper, an earlier version of this story said this bill will encourage reforms including online voting. »
