Press Releases

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA) offered two amendments to the For the People Act, also known as H.R. 1. Congresswoman Trahan’s amendments protect the voting rights and access of the families of our brave servicemembers in uniform, as well as making sure that agents of foreign governments are not able to exercise influence over the drawing of new congressional districts. A vote on final passage of H.R. 1 is expected tomorrow, Friday March 8, 2019.

“I was honored to be able to introduce and secure passage of two important amendments to the For the People Act – one of the most comprehensive voter protection and government ethics bills in recent memory. Any discussion of voter access to the polls must include the families of our men and women in uniform, who sacrifice so much. My voting residency protection amendment makes sure that family members of a servicemember are not penalized for living with out-of-state family or friends during an active deployment,” said Rep. Trahan.

“With the constitutionally mandated redistricting process just over the horizon, my second amendment prohibiting registered foreign agents from serving on independent redistricting commissions is timely and important. No individual being paid by a foreign government to influence policy in the United States should be in a position to tilt the balance of power in Congress one way or another. These are commonsense measures, and I am pleased that my colleagues supported their adoption on a voice vote,” Rep. Trahan Continued.

More Information:

1. Voting residency protection amendment:

This amendment closes a loophole in law to ensure that spouses and dependents of deployed servicemembers do not lose their right to vote in their home state if they are also absent from their home states. 

• Current law protects residency status for the spouse if they are absent from their home when a servicemember is deployed, but only if the spouse is accompanying the deployed servicemember. In other words, if the spouse of a servicemember from Massachusetts joins him/her on a deployment to Germany, both are able to maintain their residency to vote in Massachusetts in November 2020. 
• However, current law does not afford that protection to the spouse - or a dependent -- if they are absent but not accompanying the servicemember.  So, for example, if the servicemember deploys, and the spouse takes the kids to live with a friend or family member in another state, there is no federal guarantee of maintaining residency protection for voting purposes.
• This amendment fixes this by providing the spouse residency protection regardless of whether they accompany the deployed servicemember; and extends these protections to voting-age dependents.

1. Prohibiting registered foreign agents from serving on independent redistricting commissions amendment:  

This second amendment would prevent foreign agents from receiving appointment to H.R. 1’s independent redistricting commissions.

• H.R. 1 directs the creation of 15-member State-based independent redistricting commissions. The individuals must come from a pool of candidates representing an equal mix of Democrats, Republicans and Independents.
• H.R. 1 disqualifies elected officials and their families or employees, big political donors, or lobbyists from serving on a redistricting commission. The reason for these disqualifications is the risk of real or perceived bias toward or against certain outcomes in redrawing districts.
• This amendment would add a new category of disqualified individuals: those who are registered agents under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (1938).  These are people who officially represent the interests of foreign governments.  Allowing them to serve on redistricting commissions would potentially pose conflicts of interest if given the opportunity to reconfigure a district to help or harm a Congressional candidate who is favorable or hostile to a particular foreign power.

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