House Democrats to vote on anti-corruption bill…..

Why it matters: “We have a broken political system and a corrupt finance system today,” Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21 and a longtime proponent of campaign finance reform, told Axios. “H.R. 1 is the most important reform legislation to repair our democracy since the post-Watergate reforms. … There has never been a bill as broad in its scope and coverage as this bill, and we will work from here.”

The bill’s key provisions:

• Campaign finance: Create a small donor, matching-fund system for congressional and presidential candidates; expand the prohibition of foreign political donations; require super PACs and “dark money” political groups to make their donors public; and restructure the Federal Election Commission.
• Ethics: Mandate that presidents and vice presidents release 10 years of their tax returns; create an ethics code for the Supreme Court; and bar members of Congress from serving on corporate boards.
• Voting rights: Allow citizens to register to vote online and be registered automatically; require paper ballots in federal elections; make Election Day a federal holiday; prohibit voter roll purging; and end partisan gerrymandering by having independent commissions redraw congressional districts.

The state of play: The bill is expected to easily pass in the House — it’s already secured 234 co-sponsors, in addition to Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) who is leading the effort — but it will likely die in the Senate…..

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image….WashingtonTimes