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Rep. Chu Statement on Passage of H.R. 1

March 8, 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 1, the For The People Act. This bill helps restore openness and transparency to government by expanding access to the ballot box, restoring the right to vote for felons who have served their time, prohibiting voter roll purges, requiring disclosure of large donors, creating a system for matching individual campaign contributions, strengthening oversight of elections, and more. Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) voted for H.R. 1 and issued the following statement:

"Today, the House took a major step towards fulfilling our first priority: returning power to the people. At the start of this Congress, the new Democratic majority made a promise to restore faith in our democratic process, and that is what we did today when we passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act.

"The first thing this bill does is ensure that every eligible American has the chance for their voice to be heard by creating automatic voter registration, expanding early voting, restoring voting rights to felons who have served their time, and prohibiting voter roll purges like the ones we saw used in Ohio and Georgia to kick voters off the rolls. The second thing H.R. 1 does is shine a light on dark money in our elections by banning foreign money, improving oversight of campaign finance laws, and amplifying the voice of individuals through a system of matching donations. Additionally, H.R. 1 will help stop partisan redistricting, close loopholes for lobbyists and foreign agents, and require all presidential and vice-presidential candidates to release 10 years of tax returns.

"We are committed to restoring our democracy and returning it to the American people, and I hope the Senate will act on this soon."