House Democratic leaders are preparing to pass their signature package of campaign finance, election and ethics law changes for a second time – but this time as a series of rifle shots rather than as one behemoth legislative bomb.
The House majority views the bill, HR 1, as one of the few policymaking efforts that's gained any public relations traction. But with GOP Majority Leader Mitch McConnell making it clear the legislation is never going to get a moment of airtime in the Senate, the Democrats are looking for another way to draw attention to their signature political messaging effort.
And just maybe, they hope, a critical mass of Republican senators can be persuaded to tell McConnell it makes 2020 campaign sense to embrace a few of the less polarizing provisions that land on their doorstep.
"I am prepared to bring to the floor and pass individual bills to address the reforms included in the For the People Act," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told Politico.
The comprehensive package passed in March along pure party lines. The emerging plan is to hold debate this summer on the sections of the bill designed to bolster election security, expand voting rights, nationalize automatic voter registration and change campaign finance rules by, among other things, compelling more transparency by super PACs and requiring more disclosure of campaign spending online.
In terms of money flowing through the campaign-finance system, political action committees (PACs) are three times more active than candidates running for reelection or office. That is concentrated political power that leaves many congressional candidates running for reelection or office dependent on PAC support.
