Press Releases Archive

Democracy 21 Applauds House Passage of Historic Democracy Reform Legislation, Three-to-Five Year Battle Now Moves to Senate and 2020 Presidential and Congressional Campaigns

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The House today passed H.R. 1, historic reform legislation to repair our broken political system and revitalize our democracy. H.R. 1 includes far-reaching reforms to address Washington corruption, voter suppression, extreme partisan gerrymandering and abuse of public office for private financial gain. The three-to-five year battle to enact this unprecedented package of reforms now moves […]

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D21 Sends Letter Urging Members of Congress to Support H.R. 1 Amendment 124 to Strengthen Ban on Foreign Interest Spending

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Enclosed for your information is a letter sent by Democracy 21 to Members of Congress today urging their support for amendment 124 to be offered by Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) on H.R. 1. The amendment would close major loopholes in the prohibition on spending by foreign interests to influence U.S. elections. According to the letter: [T]he […]

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D21 Sends Letter to Representatives on H.R. 1, Responding to ACLU Letter

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Enclosed for your information is a letter sent by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer and Democracy 21 Counsel Donald Simon to Representatives today, regarding H.R. 1 and in response to a letter dated March 6, 2019 sent by the ACLU. Read our full letter below or here. March 7, 2019 Re:  Response to ACLU Letter […]

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Informative Materials on H.R. 1, the For the People Act

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H.R. 1, the For the People Act, sponsored by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) and cosponsored by 234 Representatives, is on the floor of the House starting today. The bill is unprecedented democracy reform legislation that addresses campaign finance, voting rights, partisan redistricting and government ethics problems. Enclosed for your information is a series of materials […]

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D21 Sends Letter Urging H.R. 1 Co-Sponsors to Oppose Any Weakening Amendment or Motion to Recommit

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In a letter sent today to Representatives cosponsoring landmark democracy reform legislation H.R. 1, Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer strongly urged them to oppose any weakening amendment or motion to recommit offered regarding the bill. H.R. 1, also known as the “For the People Act,” was introduced by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) and is cosponsored […]

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Rebuttal of Attacks on Dark Money Disclosure Requirements in H.R. 1

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Rebuttal of Attacks on Dark Money Disclosure Requirements in H.R. 1 Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer Democracy 21 Counsel Donald Simon Enclosed below is a rebuttal of attacks made on the disclosure requirements included in H.R. 1, landmark democracy reform legislation scheduled to be voted on this week in the House. The DISCLOSE Act, incorporated […]

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71 Organizations Send Letter Today Urging House Members to Vote for H.R. 1, Historic Democracy Reform Legislation

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  In a letter sent to Representatives today, 71 organizations strongly urged all House Members to support the historic package of democracy reforms contained in H.R. 1, the “For the People Act,” introduced by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) and now with 234 Members cosponsoring. The organizations also strongly urged Members to vote against “any weakening […]

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Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer Testifies in Support of H.R. 1 at the House Administration Committee

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Today, Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer appeared before the House Administration Committee in support of H.R. 1, the comprehensive democracy reform bill introduced by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and co-sponsored by 225 other House Democrats. (Watch the video here.) Wertheimer also submitted written testimony on behalf of Democracy 21 in […]

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Meet a Younger Mitch McConnell as Bold Campaign Finance Reformer

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Meet a Younger Mitch McConnell as Bold Campaign Finance Reformer By Fred Wertheimer Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is the nation’s leading opponent of campaign finance laws. But it wasn’t always that way. Today McConnell is playing true to form, attacking H.R.1, the historic democracy reform legislation sponsored by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) and […]

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Spurious Arguments Being Made Against H.R. 1 to Defend Secret “Dark Money” Contributions Spent to Influence Federal Elections

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Enclosed for your information is a piece refuting spurious arguments being made by opponents of H.R. 1 to defend secret contributions. According to the piece: Secret, unlimited contributions made to groups which spend money to influence federal elections are a particularly dangerous means for corrupting government decisions. Without disclosure of these unlimited contributions, there is […]

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