Understanding H.R. 1: A Four Part Series

Understanding H.R. 1: A Four Part Series

March 5, 2021, Covington Alert Series

With a growing chorus of support across the progressive landscape, the For the People Act of 2021 has emerged as a key legislative priority for congressional Democrats in the 117th Congress. Envisioned as a "transformational anti-corruption and clean elections reform package," the bill would enact sweeping changes to federal election laws along with important changes to federal campaign finance, lobbying, and government ethics laws. Taken together, these changes would have significant implications for private parties engaged in all manner of political activity.

After House Democrats relied on their slim majority to pass the For the People Act, the bill now faces more uncertain prospects in the evenly divided Senate. Nonetheless, Democratic leaders are sure to continue to press aggressively to move the bill through the upper chamber. Likewise, even absent passage of the entire package, Democrats may look for opportunities to pass key elements of the broader bill on a bipartisan basis.

To assist our clients in understanding how the For the People Act would affect their existing activity and compliance obligations, we are publishing a series of alerts that will provide insights into key elements of the bill and what they mean. Alerts in this series include the following:

• Understanding H.R. 1 (Part 1): Corporate & Trade Association Campaign Activity
• Understanding H.R. 1 (Part 2): Changes to the Lobbying Disclosure Act and Foreign Agents Registration Act
• Understanding H.R. 1 (Part 3): Political Activity on the Internet
• Understanding H.R. 1 (Part 4): Conflict-of-Interest and Revolving-Door Issues