[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 195 (Tuesday, December 11, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H10034]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            DEMOCRACY REFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Pennsylvania (Ms. Scanlon) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Speaker-designate 
Pelosi, Whip Hoyer, and Representative Sarbanes for honoring the will 
of the American people and pledging to make democracy reform a top 
priority for the 116th Congress.
  One of the greatest promises of our democracy is that our government 
is of, by, and for the people. Our democracy has always been a messy 
experiment. It is not perfect. It is not a spectator sport. But it is 
our greatest hope. At this point in time, unfortunately, many of our 
democratic structures are under attack.
  In my home, Pennsylvania, over the past decade, we have seen the 
impact of antidemocratic policies. The cards have been stacked against 
the voices of Pennsylvanians through unconstitutional gerrymandering, 
repressive voter ID laws, and restrictive absentee ballot deadlines. 
These tactics have been used to muzzle the voices of our constituents, 
as well as voters in North Carolina, Wisconsin, Georgia, and other 
citizens across the country.

                              {time}  1030

  The H.R. 1 package being advanced by Representative Sarbanes and the 
Democracy Reform Task Force is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to 
restore the American people's faith in our institutions. History has 
shown us that our American experiment is at its best when we face 
complex challenges head-on and we are better for taking them up.
  H.R. 1 is our path forward to a more perfect democracy. Our elections 
are the bedrock of this Nation, and the sanctity of those elections 
must be protected from threats, both foreign and domestic.
  We can make it easier, not harder, for eligible Americans to vote. We 
can end the dominance of Big Money in our politics. We can ensure that 
public officials, from the White House to Members of Congress, put the 
interests of the American people first. We can do all of those things, 
and we must.
  Public opinion polls show that the American people's distrust of our 
governmental institutions is at staggering levels. We must work 
together, Democrats and Republicans, to change course and restore the 
people's faith. We have real work to do, and Members of the incoming 
class are ready to roll up our sleeves. The voters have charged us to 
restore the balance of our political institutions and make sure that 
everyday Americans have a seat at the table.
  When we listen to people instead of special interests, we can raise 
the minimum wage and create good-paying jobs; we can lower prescription 
drug prices and give people better access to healthcare; we can make 
real investments in our infrastructure; we can reduce gun violence; and 
we can increase funding for job training programs and public education.
  Mr. Speaker, we owe it to the generations before us who worked to 
establish this democracy and we owe it to the generations that follow 
to ensure that we have a Government that is truly by and for the 
people. We can work on this together. It is up to us to get it done, 
and this work starts now.

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