We the People Democracy Reform Act of 2017

We the People Democracy Reform Act of 2017

This bill amends various provisions related to elections, including by:

• expanding the ban on election contributions by foreign nationals to include corporations subject to specified levels of ownership or control by foreign nationals or governments;
• expanding and otherwise revising various disclosure and reporting requirements related to campaign communications;
• imposing penalties for willfully violating limits related to campaign contributions for coordinated expenditures;
• revising notification requirements for campaign contributions of $1,000 or more from any contributor during a calendar year;
• replacing the Federal Election Commission with the Federal Election Administration, which shall enforce specified election-related laws and formulate related policies;
• imposing restrictions on covered financial-services regulators, such as by prohibiting them from using their position to influence any matter that provides a direct and substantial pecuniary benefit to certain former employers or clients;
• requiring the President and Vice President to disclose financial interests, including tax returns, to Congress and the Office of Government Ethics;
• modifying the system for the public financing of presidential elections, including by providing for 600% matching funds for smaller campaign contributions and requiring a candidate who accepts public financing to agree not to accept certain bundled contributions;
• requiring each state to conduct redistricting through a plan developed by an independent commission or, if such a commission plan is not enacted, a plan developed and enacted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; and
• directing states to permit same-day voter registration.
  

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov