WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD), on January 5, shared an update on his efforts to clean up Washington with the re-introduction of H.R. 1, the For the People Act. His statement follows:

“Yesterday, I led the re-introduction of H.R. 1, the For the People Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives.

H.R. 1 is a sweeping anti-corruption package to clean up Washington, protect and expand voting rights, restore integrity to government and put the needs and priorities of the American people ahead of special interests.

My colleagues and I have made H.R. 1 our first priority this year because our democracy is in a state of deep disrepair. We witnessed it during the 2020 election, where Americans across the country had to overcome rampant voter suppression, gerrymandering and a torrent of special interest dark money just to exercise their right to vote. And we hear it from Marylanders like you and from Americans of all political stripes — including Democrats, Independents and Republicans — who are incredibly frustrated with the chaos, corruption and inaction that plague our politics and block progress on many efforts that benefit hardworking families.

That's why House Democrats are doubling down on our longstanding commitment to advance transformational anti-corruption and clean election reforms by introducing and swiftly passing H.R. 1.

Our historic reform effort will end decades of dysfunction in Washington, return power to the people and build a more just, equitable and prosperous country for all Americans.

Key provisions of H.R. 1 include:

Expanding automatic voter registration and same day registration;

Strengthening vote by mail, early voting and ballot access;

Combating voter intimidation and voter suppression;

Protecting elections from foreign interference;

Fixing partisan gerrymandering;

Promoting digital ad transparency;

Forcing disclosure of dark money;

Reining in lobbyists and Washington insiders;

Empowering small donors against special interests and Super PACs; and

Enforcing ethics and conflict of interest rules for all government officials.”

More information is available online: https://bit.ly/35cOnxZ.