“First, it will protect the sacred right to vote by ensuring that every American can participate equally and without undue barriers to casting their ballot.  H.R. 1 would be the most consequential piece of voting rights legislation enacted since the 2002 Help America Vote Act, which I was proud to sponsor.

“Second, this bill roots out corruption in government by increasing ethics standards and limiting the corrosive effects of dark money in our political campaigns.  By forcing SuperPACs to disclose their donors, H.R. 1 will ensure that American voters know exactly who is paying for the campaign ads they see or hear.  And by requiring presidential and vice-presidential candidates to release ten years’ worth of tax returns, it will provide voters with information critical to ensuring that those seeking our highest offices are free from conflicts of interest.

“Third, H.R. 1 will end partisan redistricting, whereby politicians choose their voters instead of the other way around.  Too many voting districts are drawn in a way to limit voters’ voices in our democracy.  That has to end, and the only way to do it is through a national approach that creates, as this bill does, a nonpartisan process in each state.

“And, lastly, H.R. 1 includes a number of provisions to increase transparency and accountability so that the American people can see what their elected officials are doing and make sure they are doing their jobs properly.  Through all of these steps, House Democrats will deliver on our pledge to renew Americans’ faith in government by making sure it works for the people.

“I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation, so consequential to our democracy and our ability to deliver results for our constituents.  But I also ask the American people to join me in believing in what government can achieve when we take steps to make it work in the way our Founders intended.  With the challenges we are facing, with the divisions and mistrust that abound, let us seize this moment – as Lincoln once did – to rededicate ourselves to the work of ensuring that ‘government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.’

“Let us do so with a strong, bipartisan vote today for H.R. 1.”