Originally published in WFMZ-TV 69News

By Matthew Daly, Associated Press

The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved legislation aimed at reducing the role of big money in politics, ensuring fair elections and strengthening ethics standards.

The bill, however, stands little chance in the Republican-run Senate, where the GOP leader has pledged it will not come up for a vote, and the White House issued a veto threat.

The House measure would make it easier to register and vote, and would tighten election security and require presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns.

Included in the bill is an amendment by freshman Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, who represents Pennsylvania's 6th District, including Reading. It would require states to provide 10 hours of early voting per day for the 15 days prior to an election, increasing access to the ballot box for all eligible voters.

"Currently, my constituents in Pennsylvania have no access to early voting and have absentee restrictions on voting by mail," Houlahan said. "This bill will introduce early voting and vote by mail to all 50 states, which greatly help working families who may have trouble voting around their work schedules on election day."

Election Day would also become a holiday for federal workers, and a public financing system for congressional campaigns would be set up. The legislation, approved 234-193, would bar voter roll purges such as those seen in Georgia, Ohio and elsewhere, and restore voting rights for ex-prisoners. It was a straight party-line vote, with all Democrats voting "yes" and all Republicans voting "no."

Republicans called the bill a Democratic power grab that amounts to a federal takeover of elections.

"The people have a right to know what this bill truly is -- a big government, central command takeover of our elections by the new House majority," said Republican Rep. Dan Meuser, who also represents Berks County. "This bill should be called the Democratic Politician Protection Act."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said the proposal was dead on arrival in that chamber.

The White House said in a statement that the Democrats' plan would "micromanage" elections that now are run largely by states and would establish "costly and unnecessary program to finance political campaigns."

But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said the bill "restores the people's faith that government works for the public interest, the people's interest, not the special interests."

Trying to turn Republicans' words against them, Pelosi said, "Yes it is a power grab - a power grab on behalf of the people."

Houlahan, also a Democrat, agreed with her party's leader in the House.

"Expanding access to early voting, especially in Pennsylvania, is a key component to bringing government back to the people by helping people with inflexible hours or people who work shifts exercise their right to vote," Houlahan said. "With H.R. 1 and my amendment, we are taking a big step to returning us to government of, by, and for the people."

House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of California said the legislation would undermine the integrity of elections by allowing convicted felons to vote, and would apply a one-size-fits-all standard to elections now run by states and local governments.

Democrats called that a mischaracterization.

To Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, the bill "grabs power away from the elites and the power brokers and gives it to the people."

She and other Democrats disputed the claim that taxpayers will pay for campaigns, noting that money for political campaigns would come from a surcharge on federal settlements made with banks and corporations that run afoul of the law.

This bill would allow "everyday Americans to become power brokers" with small contributions of $50 or $75 that would be matched at a 6-to-1 rate by the government, said Rep. John Sarbanes, a Democrat from Maryland and the bill's main author.

Still, Republicans warned that the price tag could run into the billions.

"Regardless of what they disguise it as, make no mistake that the position of Democrats is to fund politicians' campaigns using taxpayer funds," said Rep. Rodney Davis, an Illinois Republican.

The bill also "weakens safeguards to voting and registration practices that open the door to fraud" and attempts to limit free speech, Davis said, citing disclosure requirements for political donations.

The bill would create automatic national voter registration while expanding access to early and online registration. It would prohibits voter roll purges such as those seen in Georgia, Ohio and elsewhere, and increase federal support for state voter systems, including paper ballots to prevent fraud.