H.R. 1 · 117th Congress

For the People Act of 2021

Introduced on Jan 4, 2021 by John P. Sarbanes (D-MD-3). 222 cosponsors, all from the sponsor's party. Latest action (Mar 11, 2021): Received in the Senate.

Stage
Passed one chamber
Introduced
Jan 4, 2021
Cosponsors
222
0 from the other party
Policy area
Government Operations and Politics
Open in the Congress explorerCongress.govAlert me

Progress

The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.

  1. Introduced
  2. Reported by committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. 4Passed both chambers
  5. 5Sent to the President
  6. 6Became law

Official title

To expand Americans’ access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of big money in politics, strengthen ethics rules for public servants, and implement other anti-corruption measures for the purpose of fortifying our democracy, and for other purposes.

Subjects

  • Accounting and auditing
  • Administrative law and regulatory procedures
  • Administrative remedies
  • Adult day care
  • Advisory bodies
  • Alaska Natives and Hawaiians
  • Appropriations
  • Assault and harassment offenses
  • Aviation and airports
  • Broadcasting, cable, digital technologies
  • Business ethics
  • Business records
  • Census and government statistics
  • Child care and development
  • Civil actions and liability
  • Commemorative events and holidays
  • Computer security and identity theft
  • Computers and information technology
  • Congressional agencies
  • Congressional districts and representation
  • Congressional elections
  • Congressional officers and employees
  • Congressional operations and organization
  • Congressional oversight
  • Constitution and constitutional amendments
  • Corporate finance and management
  • Correctional facilities and imprisonment
  • Criminal justice information and records
  • Department of Commerce
  • Department of Homeland Security
  • Department of the Treasury
  • Digital media
  • Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
  • Disability and paralysis
  • Disaster relief and insurance
  • Due process and equal protection
  • Educational technology and distance education
  • Election Assistance Commission
  • Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
  • Emergency medical services and trauma care
  • Employment and training programs
  • Employment discrimination and employee rights
  • Espionage and treason
  • Europe
  • Executive Office of the President
  • Executive agency funding and structure
  • Federal Election Commission (FEC)
  • Federal appellate courts
  • Federal district courts
  • Federal officials
  • Federal-Indian relations
  • Foreign and international corporations
  • Foreign language and bilingual programs
  • Fraud offenses and financial crimes
  • Government Publishing Office (GPO)
  • Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
  • Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
  • Government information and archives
  • Government studies and investigations
  • Higher education
  • House of Representatives
  • Human rights
  • Immigration status and procedures
  • Indian lands and resources rights
  • Infectious and parasitic diseases
  • Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information
  • Intergovernmental relations
  • Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
  • Internet and video services
  • Internet, web applications, social media
  • Judges
  • Judicial review and appeals
  • Juvenile crime and gang violence
  • Labor-management relations
  • Lawyers and legal services
  • Legal fees and court costs
  • Legislative rules and procedure
  • Library of Congress
  • Licensing and registrations
  • Members of Congress
  • Military personnel and dependents
  • Motor vehicles
  • Natural disasters
  • News media and reporting
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Office of Government Ethics
  • Performance measurement
  • Political advertising
  • Political parties and affiliation
  • Postal service
  • Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents
  • Public contracts and procurement
  • Public participation and lobbying
  • Right of privacy
  • Russia
  • Securities
  • Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
  • Sovereignty, recognition, national governance and status
  • State and local government operations
  • Subversive activities
  • Supreme Court
  • Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
  • Tax-exempt organizations
  • Technology assessment
  • Telephone and wireless communication
  • Television and film
  • Transportation costs
  • Travel and tourism
  • U.S. and foreign investments
  • U.S. territories and protectorates
  • Voting rights
  • Wages and earnings

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Passed House, Mar 3, 2021). Public domain.

For the People Act of 2021

This bill addresses voter access, election integrity and security, campaign finance, and ethics for the three branches of government.

Specifically, the bill expands voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting). It also limits removing voters from voter rolls.

The bill requires states to establish independent redistricting commissions to carry out congressional redistricting.

Additionally, the bill sets forth provisions related to election security, including sharing intelligence information with state election officials, supporting states in securing their election systems, developing a national strategy to protect U.S. democratic institutions, establishing in the legislative branch the National Commission to Protect United States Democratic Institutions, and other provisions to improve the cybersecurity of election systems.

Further, the bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosure of campaign-related fundraising and spending, requiring additional disclaimers regarding certain political advertising, and establishing an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices.

The bill addresses ethics in all three branches of government, including by requiring a code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices, prohibiting Members of the House from serving on the board of a for-profit entity, and establishing additional conflict-of-interest and ethics provisions for federal employees and the White House.

The bill requires the President, the Vice President, and certain candidates for those offices to disclose 10 years of tax returns.

Sponsor and cosponsors

Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.

John P. SarbanesD-MD-3Sponsor

Democrats · 222

Roll calls

Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.

  1. On Agreeing to the Amendment
    Mar 2, 2021· House· Amendments· Agreed to 218–210
  2. On Agreeing to the Amendment
    Mar 2, 2021· House· Amendments· Failed 97–328
  3. On Agreeing to the Amendment
    Mar 2, 2021· House· Amendments· Failed 207–218
  4. On Agreeing to the Amendment
    Mar 2, 2021· House· Amendments· Agreed to 221–207
  5. On Agreeing to the Amendment
    Mar 3, 2021· House· Amendments· Failed 125–302
  6. On Agreeing to the Amendment
    Mar 3, 2021· House· Amendments· Agreed to 223–208
  7. On Motion to Recommit
    Mar 3, 2021· House· Procedural· Failed 210–219
  8. On Passage
    Mar 3, 2021· House· Passage· Passed 220–210

History

Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.

  1. Jan 4, 2021Introduced in House
  2. Jan 4, 2021Introduced in House
  3. Jan 4, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), the Judiciary, Oversight and Reform, Science, Space, and Technology, Education and Labor, Ways and Means, Financial Services, Ethics, Homeland Security, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  4. Jan 4, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), the Judiciary, Oversight and Reform, Science, Space, and Technology, Education and Labor, Ways and Means, Financial Services, Ethics, Homeland Security, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  5. Jan 4, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), the Judiciary, Oversight and Reform, Science, Space, and Technology, Education and Labor, Ways and Means, Financial Services, Ethics, Homeland Security, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  6. Jan 4, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), the Judiciary, Oversight and Reform, Science, Space, and Technology, Education and Labor, Ways and Means, Financial Services, Ethics, Homeland Security, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  7. Jan 4, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), the Judiciary, Oversight and Reform, Science, Space, and Technology, Education and Labor, Ways and Means, Financial Services, Ethics, Homeland Security, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  8. Jan 4, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), the Judiciary, Oversight and Reform, Science, Space, and Technology, Education and Labor, Ways and Means, Financial Services, Ethics, Homeland Security, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  9. Jan 4, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), the Judiciary, Oversight and Reform, Science, Space, and Technology, Education and Labor, Ways and Means, Financial Services, Ethics, Homeland Security, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  10. Jan 4, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), the Judiciary, Oversight and Reform, Science, Space, and Technology, Education and Labor, Ways and Means, Financial Services, Ethics, Homeland Security, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  11. Jan 4, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), the Judiciary, Oversight and Reform, Science, Space, and Technology, Education and Labor, Ways and Means, Financial Services, Ethics, Homeland Security, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  12. Jan 4, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), the Judiciary, Oversight and Reform, Science, Space, and Technology, Education and Labor, Ways and Means, Financial Services, Ethics, Homeland Security, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  13. Jan 4, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), the Judiciary, Oversight and Reform, Science, Space, and Technology, Education and Labor, Ways and Means, Financial Services, Ethics, Homeland Security, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  14. Jan 4, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
  15. Jan 5, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Innovation.
  16. Mar 1, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.
  17. Mar 1, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.
  18. Mar 1, 2021 · HouseRules Committee Resolution H. Res. 179 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 1 and H.R. 1280. Rule provides for 1 hour of general debate on H.R. 1 and one motion to recommit. Rule provides for 1 hour of general debate on H.R. 1280 and one motion to recommit.
  19. Mar 2, 2021 · HouseConsidered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 179. (consideration: CR H886-1009; text: CR H886-972)
  20. Mar 2, 2021 · HouseRule provides for consideration of H.R. 1 and H.R. 1280. Rule provides for 1 hour of general debate on H.R. 1 and one motion to recommit. Rule provides for 1 hour of general debate on H.R. 1280 and one motion to recommit.
  21. Mar 2, 2021 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 1.
  22. Mar 2, 2021 · HouseDEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 179, the House proceeded with 20 minutes of debate on the Lofgren amendment en bloc No. 1.
  23. Mar 2, 2021 · HousePOSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Lofgren amendment en bloc No. 1, the Chair put the question on agreeing to the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Ms. Lofgren demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings until a time to be announced.
  24. Mar 2, 2021 · HouseDEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 179, the House proceeded with 20 minutes of debate on the Lofgren amendment en bloc No. 2.
  25. Mar 2, 2021 · HouseDEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 179, the House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Bush amendment No. 14.
  26. Mar 2, 2021 · HousePOSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Bush amendment No. 14, the Chair put the question on the agreeing to the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mrs. Green(GA) demanded yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings until a time to be announced.
  27. Mar 2, 2021 · HouseDEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 179, the House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Rodney Davis (IL) amendment No. 19.
  28. Mar 2, 2021 · HousePOSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Rodney Davis (IL) amendment No. 19, the Chair put the question on the agreeing to the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the nays had prevailed. Ms. Lofgren demanded yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings until a time to be announced.
  29. Mar 2, 2021 · HouseDEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 179, the House proceeded with 20 minutes of debate on the Lofgren amendment en bloc No. 3.
  30. Mar 2, 2021 · HousePOSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Lofgren amendment en bloc No. 3, the Chair put the question on agreeing to the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Ms. Lofgren demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings until a time to be announced.
  31. Mar 2, 2021 · HousePursuant to clause 1(c) of Rule XIX, further consideration of H.R. 1 is postponed.
  32. Mar 2, 2021 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H1009-1010)
  33. Mar 2, 2021 · HouseUNFINISHED BUSINESS - The Chair announced that the unfinished business was the question on agreeing to the amendments which had been debated earlier and on which further proceedings had been postponed.
  34. Mar 2, 2021 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table. Agreed to without objection.
  35. Mar 2, 2021 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table. Agreed to without objection.
  36. Mar 2, 2021 · HousePursuant to clause 1(c) of Rule XIX, further consideration of H.R. 1 is postponed.
  37. Mar 3, 2021 · HousePursuant to clause 1(c) of Rule XIX, the House resumed consideration of H.R. 1.
  38. Mar 3, 2021 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H1023-1037)
  39. Mar 3, 2021 · HouseDEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 179, the House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Lesko amendment No. 28.
  40. Mar 3, 2021 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table. Agreed to without objection.
  41. Mar 3, 2021 · HouseDEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 179, the House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Pressley amendment No. 37.
  42. Mar 3, 2021 · HousePOSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Pressley amendment, the Chair put the question on the agreeing to the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Rodney Davis (IL) demanded yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings until a time to be announced.
  43. Mar 3, 2021 · HouseDEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 179, the House proceeded with 20 minutes of debate on the Lofgren amendment en bloc No. 4.
  44. Mar 3, 2021 · HousePOSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Lofgren amendment en bloc No. 4, the Chair put the question on agreeing to the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Gohmert demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings until a time to be announced.
  45. Mar 3, 2021 · HousePursuant to clause 1(c) of Rule XIX, further consideration of H.R. 1 was postponed.
  46. Mar 3, 2021 · HousePursuant to clause 1(c) of Rule XIX, the House resumed with further consideration of H.R. 1.
  47. Mar 3, 2021 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H1037-1038)
  48. Mar 3, 2021 · HouseThe previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
  49. Mar 3, 2021 · HousePOSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - Pursuant to clause 1(c) of Rule 19, further consideration of H.R. 1 was postponed.
  50. Mar 3, 2021 · HousePursuant to clause 1(c) of Rule XIX, the House resumed with further consideration of H.R. 1.
  51. Mar 3, 2021 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H1039)
  52. Mar 3, 2021 · HouseMr. Davis, Rodney moved to recommit to the Committee on House Administration. (text: CR H1039)
  53. Mar 3, 2021 · HouseThe previous question on the motion to recommit was ordered pursuant to the rule.
  54. Mar 3, 2021 · HousePOSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - The Chair put the question on the motion to recommit and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Rodney Davis (IL) demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings until a time to be announced.
  55. Mar 3, 2021 · HousePursuant to clause 1(c) of Rule XIX, further consideration of H.R. 1 was postponed.
  56. Mar 3, 2021 · HousePursuant to clause 1(c) of Rule XIX, the House resumed with further consideration of H.R. 1.
  57. Mar 3, 2021 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H1071-1072)
  58. Mar 3, 2021 · HouseOn motion to recommit Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 210 - 219 (Roll no. 61).House · Roll call 61
  59. Mar 3, 2021Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 220 - 210 (Roll no. 62).House · Roll call 62
  60. Mar 3, 2021 · HouseOn passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 220 - 210 (Roll no. 62).House · Roll call 62
  61. Mar 3, 2021 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  62. Mar 3, 2021 · HouseThe Clerk was authorized to correct section numbers, punctuation, and cross references, and to make other necessary technical and conforming corrections in the engrossment of H.R. 1.
  63. Mar 11, 2021 · SenateReceived in the Senate.

Committees

Committees and subcommittees the measure was referred to.

Agencies in its committees' jurisdiction

Analisa's mapping of committee jurisdiction to federal agencies; the bill may touch others, or none of these.

Who lobbied on it

Organizations whose lobbying reports (LD-2) name this measure. Spending is what they reported for those quarters on all issues, not on this measure alone.

  1. COVESTRO LLC6 reports
    $1M reported (all issues)
  2. AMERICAN CHEMISTRY COUNCIL3 reports
    $9.5M reported (all issues)
  3. AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE3 reports
  4. AVANGRID3 reports
  5. Case New Holland Industrial Inc.3 reports
    $1.4M reported (all issues)
  6. Covanta Energy LLC3 reports
  7. EnerGeo Alliance3 reports
    $60K reported (all issues)
  8. Energy Advance Center3 reports
    $90K reported (all issues)
  9. KINDER MORGAN, INC3 reports
    $240K reported (all issues)Federal contractor: KINDER MORGAN TANK STORAGE TERMINALS LLCAI match · 100%
  10. RWE Renewables Americas, LLC3 reports
    $110K reported (all issues)
  11. SEMPRA ENERGY3 reports
    $100K reported (all issues)
  12. Clean Fuel Alliance "FKA: National Biodiesel Board"2 reports
    $60K reported (all issues)
  13. LIBERTY UTILITIES2 reports
    $40K reported (all issues)
  14. AMEREN SERVICES1 report
    Federal contractor: AMEREN SERVICES COMPANY$2M in contracts, FY2026AI match · 99%
  15. Autos Drive America1 report
    $220K reported (all issues)
  16. CONSOL ENERGY INC.1 report
  17. National Taxpayers Union1 report
    $30K reported (all issues)
  18. Orsted North America, Inc.1 report
    $270K reported (all issues)
  19. PORTLAND GENERAL ELECTRIC CO.1 report
    $120K reported (all issues)Federal contractor: PORTLAND GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY$189.1K in contracts, FY2026AI match · 100%
  20. SCHWEITZER ENGINEERING LABORATORIES, INC.1 report
    $50K reported (all issues)Federal contractor: SCHWEITZER ENGINEERING LABORATORIES INC$1.1M in contracts, FY2026AI match · 100%
  21. SolAmerica Energy1 report
    $10K reported (all issues)

Reports filed in 2023.

Sources and method

Every figure on this page traces to these records.

  • Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
  • Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 6, 2026 · loaded Oct 6, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.
  • Money and votes are shown side by side; neither explains the other.