Public Citizen Heartily Applauds ‘We the People Democracy Reform Act of 2017’
Sept. 28, 2017
Public Citizen Heartily Applauds ‘We the People Democracy Reform Act of 2017’
Legislation Encompasses Large Swath of Ethics and Election Reforms
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Public Citizen applauds a comprehensive package of ethics, campaign finance and election reforms unveiled Wednesday by U.S. Senate Democrats in a single legislative proposal called the “We the People Democracy Reform Act of 2017.”
Principally sponsored by U.S. Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), the measure calls for sweeping reforms to: 1) enhance disclosure of money in politics; 2) regulate the coordination of super PACs with candidates; 3) restrict the revolving door in the financial services sector; 4) provide public financing of campaigns; 5) establish fair election districts; and 6) create a system of automatic voter registrations so that all Americans have a chance to cast ballots.
“This legislation offers a package of reforms that address most of the severest shortcomings of our political system,” said Craig Holman, government affairs lobbyist with Public Citizen’s Congress Watch division. “It gets at the deepest, darkest and most prevalent problems posed by excessive money in politics.”
The omnibus reform package includes a large number of existing election reform bills, ranging from the DISCLOSE Act to the Presidential Conflicts of Interest Act, along with some new reforms to address the growing problem of foreign electioneering ads on the Internet.
“The ‘We the People Democracy Reform Act’ is an effort by these lawmakers to stake out in no uncertain terms ethics and electoral reforms vitally necessary to revitalize our democracy,” said Lisa Gilbert, vice president of legislative affairs for Public Citizen. “The legislation shows the American public precisely how to fix the worst of what ails us in politics so that we can restore trust in our system of democracy.”
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