Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick today introduced the Nonpartisan Bill For the People Act which will increase voter participation, protect the integrity of our elections, reduce the influence of dark money in politics, end gerrymandering, increase accountability for Members of Congress, and strengthen ethics rules for public servants.

After weeks of Democrats and Republicans attacking each other over partisan provisions in H.R. 1, Congressman Fitzpatrick is introducing legislation containing bipartisan provisions which will restore confidence in our electoral process while bringing more people into the process.

“The greatest threat to our democracy is when the American people lose confidence in their government. That’s why we must work together to implement solutions which increase access to the ballot box, secure our elections, and increase transparency in the system,” said Congressman Fitzpatrick. “I believe that these ideas transcend political parties and strike at the heart of what our country needs: a rebirth of belief in our leaders and institutions so we can tackle the challenges we face and accomplish great things in this new era.”

As a former FBI Supervisory Special Agent who was a national supervisor in the Political Corruption Unit, Congressman Fitzpatrick knows what must be done to bring accountability to Congress. More competitive districts, term limits, and transparency in campaign finance will increase transparency and hold Members of Congress accountable.

The Nonpartisan Bill For The People will make the government more accountable and transparent with the following provisions:

• Gerrymandering – Ends the broken and partisan gerrymandering process by moving all redistricting to independent, nonpartisan citizen commissions.
• Automatic Voter Registration – Each state will automatically register eligible voters.
• Election Security – Protects our elections from hacking and ensures new innovations in election infrastructure are secure.
• Voter ID – Every voter must show a photo ID to vote and states shall provide each registered voter an ID free of charge if the voter faces financial challenges.
• Open Primaries – Expands access to political party primaries to include both independent and non-affiliated voters.
• No Budget No Pay – Prohibits Members of Congress from being paid during a government shutdown and prohibits retroactive pay for Members of Congress when the government reopens.
• Ends Congressional Pensions – Members of Congress will no longer receive pensions for life and instead will be directed to other retirement options.
• Keeping Foreign Money out of Elections – Strengthens protections to keep foreign nationals and governments from contributing to campaigns.
• Reducing the Influence of Dark Money in Elections – Requires organizations involved in political activity to disclose donors.
• End the Gridlock at the FEC – Reduces the number of FEC commissioners from six to five - and requires at least one commissioner to not be affiliated with a political party – so the FEC can effectively enforce election law.
• Strengthening Ethics Laws – Places new restrictions on the ability of people to move between the private sector and the government so former lobbyists and executives aren’t regulating their former industry.
• Disclosing Tax Returns – Requires candidates for President, Vice President, and candidates for Congress to disclose their tax returns from the previous 10 years.