Today’s Links
Articles:
NBC News – House members roll out bipartisan election bill aimed at preventing future coups
Axios – House members introduce reforms to election bill
Bill Language – Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act
Groups Taking Action:
Protect Democracy, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Issue One Action, Campaign Legal Center
You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.
The counterpart to the U.S. Senate’s Electoral Count Reform Act was just announced in the U.S. House on September 15th. The bipartisan legislation is an attempt to prevent future attempted coups, but time is short as the Congressional term nears its end.
NBC News reports that Representatives Josh Gottheimer, Democrat of NJ, and Fred Upton, Republican of Michigan, sponsored the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act, which is similar to the Senate’s bill.
Both bills attempt to clarify the limited role the Vice President has in the certification process, but the House bill also proposes changes to the Presidential Transition Act, which dictates how an outgoing administration must prepare for a handoff to a newly elected President and his or her administration.
Another, broader bipartisan bill is reportedly being prepared for release this week by Republican Rep. Liz Cheney and Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren, which will address a wider scope of transition issues. And at some future point, the January 6th Committee will report on what changes can be made to prevent any future attempts to overturn an election.
Back in the Senate, the Electoral Count Reform Act, sponsored by Senators Joe Manchin and Susan Collins, just had its tenth Republican Senator sign on, Chuck Grassley of Iowa. If the coalition holds, the Senate has the 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, assuring the bill’s passage.
Links to articles, the language of the new bill, and groups taking action can be found at AmericanDemocracy Minute.org.
Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it’s something we DO!” For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl