H.R. 1, better known as the “For the Politicians Act of 2019,” would institute sweeping new limitations on speech about campaigns and public affairs. This radical bill would, in fact, greatly harm the ability of the people to freely speak, publish, and organize into groups to advocate for better government.

In particular, H.R. 1 would impose onerous and unworkable standards on the ability of Americans and groups of Americans to discuss the policy issues of the day with elected officials and speak to the public. Other sections of the bill would violate the privacy of advocacy groups and their supporters, stringently regulate political speech on the Internet, and compel speakers to include lengthy government-mandated messages identifying some of their supporters by name in their communications. H.R. 1 would also coerce Americans into funding the campaigns of candidates with which they may disagree in a system that research has proven hasn’t worked elsewhere. If signed into law, all of these provisions would be interpreted and enforced by a newly partisan Federal Election Commission.

The bill’s provisions are so complex and open to so many possible interpretations that the Institute’s views on the bill may well understate the chill this legislation might place on speech. To this end, the Institute for Free Speech has created a variety of resources that highlight the many First Amendment problems in H.R. 1.

IFS Resources

Analyses:

• • • Analysis of H.R. 1 (Part One): “For the People Act” Replete with Provisions for the Politicians (“DISCLOSE”/“Honest Ads”/“Stand By Every Ad”)
    • Analysis of H.R. 1 (Part Two): Establishing a Campaign Speech Czar and Enabling Partisan Enforcement: An Altered FEC Structure Poses Risks to First Amendment Speech Rights (FEC Re-Structuring)
    • Analysis of H.R. 1 (Part Three): New Restrictions Target Speech by All Groups Under the Guise of “Stopping Super PAC-Candidate Coordination” (“Coordination” Restrictions)

Explainers:

• • • What Would H.R. 1 Mean for My Group?

Testimony and Letters to Congress:

• • • Letter to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on Citizens United and H.R. 1 (1/29)
    • Testimony of Bradley A. Smith Before the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee (2/6)
    • Testimony of David Keating Before the U.S. House Administration Committee (2/14)
    • Letter to U.S. House of Representatives in Opposition to H.R. 1 (3/6)

Blog Posts:

• • • Evaluating Tax-Financing Programs with Outputs, Not Inputs, by President David Keating (1/10)
    • H.R. 1’s Tax-Financing Program Could Increase Political Polarization, by President David Keating (1/17)
    • H.R. 1’s Tax-Financing Program Creates New Incentives for Corruption, by President David Keating (2/5)
    • IFS Chairman Brad Smith Corrects AOC on Campaign Finance Law (Video) (2/7)
    • AOC Doesn’t Let the Facts Get in the Way of a Good Story, by Research Director Scott Blackburn (2/7)
    • H.R. 1 Would Undo Watergate-Era Protections Against Government Interference in Election Campaigns, by President David Keating (2/13)

Press Releases:

• • • Analysis: Major Provisions of H.R. 1 Threaten Free Political Speech (1/23)
    • Analysis: H.R. 1 Would Create a Speech Czar and Enable Partisan Enforcement of Campaign Finance Laws (1/31)
    • Analysis: H.R. 1 Restricts Speech about Public Affairs Under the Guise of Stopping ‘Coordination’ (2/5)
    • Chairman Bradley Smith Testifies Before House Oversight Committee on H.R. 1 (2/6)
    • President David Keating Testifies Before House Administration Committee on H.R. 1 (2/14)
    • Statement in Response to House Vote on H.R. 1 (3/8)

Op-Eds:

• • • Washington Examiner: Stop saying HR1 is ‘For the People’ when it’s only ‘For the Politicians’, by Media Manager Alex Baiocco (2/6)
    • New York Daily News: Your tax dollars for their elections? No thanks, by Senior Policy Analyst Eric Peterson (2/7)
    • National Review: PACs Represent People, Too, by Chairman Bradley A. Smith (2/13)
    • The Hill: Democrats have campaign proposal that will create more Donald Trumps, by Research Director Scott Blackburn (3/5)
    • The Daily Caller: Dems Have Passed HR 1 – And It Could Make Life A Lot Harder For AOC, by Senior Fellow Eric Wang (3/8)
    • Washington Examiner: Changing the campaign refs is the wrong call for democracy, by Bradley A. Smith and Scott Blackburn (3/11)
    • National Review: Democrats’ McCarthyist ‘For the People Act’, by Bradley A. Smith and Akhil Rajasekar (4/11)

TV, Radio, and Podcasts:

• • • Communications Director Luke Wachob on FreedomWorks’ Facebook Live (1/17)
    • Senior Fellow Eric Wang on Texas Scorecard Radio (2/7)
    • Communications Director Luke Wachob on Cato Institute’s Daily Podcast (3/6)
    • President David Keating on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal (3/6)
    • President David Keating on NPR’s On Point (3/6)

Other Resources

Letters in Opposition:

• • • Conservative Action Project Memo Opposing H.R. 1 (1/28)
    • FreedomWorks Coalition Letter Opposing H.R. 1 (2/21)
    • National Taxpayers Union Statement Opposing H.R. 1 (2/25)
    • ACLU Letter Opposing H.R. 1 (3/1)
    • U.S. Chamber of Commerce Coalition Letter Opposing H.R. 1 (3/5)