Press Releases

(Honolulu, HI) -- Following through on a priority in his campaign to return to Congress, U.S. Representative Ed Case today co-sponsored the very first bill introduced in the New Congress – a strongly worded measure to end corruption in politics.  Members of the 116th Congress were seated yesterday.

House Resolution 1 (HR 1) is a sweeping proposal that Case said aims to “fix our broken political system so that our democracy truly works for all citizens and not the monied few.”  Case added “this is what drove me to re-enter government, and there was no other issue out on the campaign trail across my district that so unified people.”

Case said the bill “was driven by my Reformers Caucus and many other grassroots groups and our supporters in Congress and will go a long way toward returning government to the people – where it belongs.”  The Reformers Caucus is considered the premier national organization dedicated to political reform ideas and legislation.

House Democrats today introduced HR 1 which takes on the influence of money in politics and seeks to expand voting rights. Democratic leadership in the House refers to the measure as “a once-in-a-generation reform package that will restore the promise of American democracy and repair our democratic institutions.”  Some of the highlights of the bill include:

• A push for public financing of campaigns, to be powered by small donations.  The bill will also seek an end to Citizens United, the controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively deregulated limits on campaign contributions for or against candidates for office. Case said he is very concerned about so-called “dark money” campaign contributions, funds that come from big-money individuals and special interests that are funneled through non-profits and wind up in campaigns for or against candidates.  “This is money that is hard to trace,” said Case. “And we must have full disclosure, so voters know how campaigns are really funded – by whom, and by how much.”

• Requires future candidates for President and the Vice President to disclose 10 years of his or her tax returns. The proposal also stops members of Congress from using taxpayer money to settle sexual harassment or discrimination cases.

• On voting rights, HR 1 would promote early voting, same-day voter registration and on-line voter registration.  The measure would also enhance federal support for voting system security, particularly paper ballots, and increases oversight over election vendors.

###

.