October, 20 2020, 12:00am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Scott Swenson, Communications VP
sswenson@commoncause.org, 202-736-5713
Common Cause Adds Expertise Anticipating Unprecedented Opportunities for Comprehensive Democracy Reform at State and Federal Levels
Stephen Spaulding returns to Common CauseĀ as the dramatic 116th Congress awaits judgment of voters.
WASHINGTON
Common Cause is pleased to announce the return of Stephen Spaulding as Senior Advisor to the President and Senior Counsel, Public Policy and Government Affairs, effective October 20, 2020. Spaulding had been Senior Elections Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on House Administration, which has jurisdiction over federal elections.
As senior counsel to Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Spaulding advised on all matters of election law and policy before the Committee, including election administration, election security, campaign finance, and voting rights. He played a key leadership role in the House passage of three comprehensive election bills--the For the People Act, (H.R. 1); the SAFE Act, to bolster election security, (H.R. 2722); the SHIELD Act, to curb foreign election interference and disinformation, (H.R. 4617); and the election provisions of the Heroes Act, (H.R. 6800). Spaulding planned legislative and oversight strategy, including oversight of the Federal Election Commission and Election Assistance Commission, and assisted in planning field hearings to build the record supporting the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act (H.R. 4).
Earlier in his career, Spaulding worked as Special Counsel to FEC Commissioner and Chair Ann Ravel at the Federal Election Commission where he advised her on enforcement, rulemaking, litigation, policy, and management of the agency. He also helped Commissioner Ravel in her work to highlight the increased partisan gridlock and acrimony at the agency that should be enforcing federal campaign finance laws. Spaulding is returning to Common Cause for the third time, including most recently as Chief of Strategy and External Relations from 2017-2019, as well as Senior Policy Counsel and Legal Director from 2011-2016, where he coordinated litigation, as well as lead our policy work on filibuster reform, money in politics, and ethics.
"Stephen Spaulding is dedicated to strengthening democracy at every turn; he is proof there are far more people to celebrate doing good in and out of government than headlines or partisans with an agenda often suggest. He's coming home to Common Cause because when you go into government to do good, you leave wanting to do good as well," said Karen Hobert Flynn, Common Cause President.
"Regardless of the election outcome, American voters are more engaged than ever before in a political system many took for granted until 2016 and now see as vulnerable and in need of comprehensive modernization," Hobert Flynn said. "As we head from the most consequential election of our generation to the most significant redistricting for legislative maps in every state, Common Cause will be called on more and more to bring our expertise to help states and cities so we're staffing up. Stephen will bring his expertise to help cities and states that are embracing comprehensive democracy modernization in increasing numbers. One thing we know about Congress is that the best time to pass reform is after a scandal-ridden administration, so perhaps we'll have federal reform opportunities as well," Hobert Flynn said.
"Being in the House for the historic 116th Congress reinforced for me how important it is that more Americans participate in the political process. When we do, it makes more of a difference than many people believe," said Stephen Spaulding. "Common Cause has the comprehensive, pragmatic, solutions agenda that brings Americans together to better understand and fully participate in our democracy. Common Cause combines expertise and insight about the legislative process with growing outside outrage at a political system that still doesn't work equitably for all Americans. But it can and it will if we the people have the will to make democracy reform a consistent priority," Spaulding said.
Election 2020 is the third consecutive election cycle in which there is increasing attention to democracy issues on ballot initiatives at the state and local level. It is the second consecutive cycle where democracy issues are at the top of the agenda in Congressional races, especially for House seats won in 2018, sweeping a new class of reform-minded members into power in the largest and most diverse class of incoming representatives to the House. That wave, combined with years of work laying the groundwork for reform, resulted in the For the People Act (H.R. 1), the most comprehensive democracy reform bill ever introduced in Congress passing the House. The failure of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to take up that bill and many others relating to election security or funding needed by states to conduct elections during the COVID-19 pandemic has made the need for democracy modernization a top issue in many of the most competitive U. S. Senate races this year.
Common Cause and the Common Cause Education Fund work to strengthen the people's voice in our democracy by winning non-partisan solutions promoting small-dollar donor laws, higher ethical standards, fair maps to end gerrymandering, reduce barriers between eligible voters and their ballot to increase participation, and promote a diverse and competitive media landscape with an open and free internet that prioritizes the free political speech of the people over the paid political speech of a few billionaires and wealthy special interests. Combined, these issue areas comprise the core modernization agenda moving us toward a more reflective democracy that truly represents the diversity of people, ideas, and cultures in a modern 21st Century democracy.
With more than 1.5 million supporters in all 50 states and every Congressional District, Common Cause is the largest and oldest non-partisan good government watchdog leading efforts to open government and create more accountability for 50 years.
Common Cause is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.
(202) 833-1200LATEST NEWS
'Collapse of Political Ambition': EU Shelves Nature Restoration Law
"To let this go now means we go into European elections saying the European system is not working, we do not protect nature, we do not take climate seriously," said Ireland's environmental minister. "That would be an absolute shame."
Mar 26, 2024
Environmental ministers in the European Union on Monday warned that the bloc's credibility on heading off the global biodiversity and climate emergencies is in peril following the European Council's decision to remove the historic Nature Restoration Law from its agenda after the proposal lost key support.
"We inspired others, yet now we risk arriving empty handed at COP16 [the 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference]," Virginijus SinkeviÄius, E.U. commissioner for environment, oceans, and fisheries, said in a statement. "Backtracking now is... very difficult for me to accept."
The law, first introduced in 2022 and approved by European Parliament last month, faced one final hurdle to passage with the planned Council vote, but recent protests by farmers over the new nature restoration requirements helped push some previous supporters to reverse their positions on Monday.
The Nature Restoration Law, which supporters said they still intend to try to pass before E.U. elections in June, would require member states to adopt measures to restore at least 30% of habitats by 2030, working up to 90% by 2050. Member states would be required to take action to reverse pollinator populations, restore organic soils in agricultural use, increase development of urban green areas, and take other steps to protect biodiversity.
Since the farmer protests began in France and started spreading to other countries including Spain, Belgium, and Italy, policymakers have offered concessions including delayed implementation of another set of biodiversity rules calling for the agriculture industry to keep 4% of farming land free of crop production to regenerate healthy soil. The European Commission also shelved an anti-pesticide law in February in response to the protests.
As countries announced their new opposition to the Nature Restoration Law in recent days, some ministers suggested the demonstrations contributed to their decision.
AnikĆ³ Raisz, Hungary's minister of state for environmental affairs, said the law would "overburden the economy" and cited concerns about the "sensitive situation" in the agriculture sector. Italy also said it was concerned about the biodiversity rules' impact on farmers.
The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) accused far-right Hungarian President Viktor OrbƔn, who has dismissed European climate policies, of being behind the "unexpected and clearly politically motivated change in Hungary's position."
Hungary's opposition "was left unchallenged by Sweden, Poland, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, and Italyāwho continue to either abstain or oppose," and "has now put the [Nature Restoration Law] in jeopardy again, giving Hungary's President Viktor OrbĆ”n the green light to further his own agenda and hold E.U. decision-making hostage," said WWF.
Eamon Ryan, Irish minister for the environment, accused other policymakers in the bloc of "buckling" before the farmer protests, which continued Tuesday, ahead of June elections.
"The biggest risk is the collapse of political ambition and will," Ryan said. "To let this go now means we go into European elections saying the European system is not working, we do not protect nature, we do not take climate seriously. That would be an absolute shame."
BirdLife Europe called on the E.U. the continue its efforts to pass the Nature Restoration Law before the session ends this summer.
"The E.U.'s reputation hangs in the balance in this critical year of E.U. elections," said the group. "Failure to make the law a reality also undermines the E.U.'s credibility and leadership on its international commitments to tackle the biodiversity and climate crises."
"This is definitely not the end of the story," Alain Maron, Belgium's minister for climate change, environment, energy, and participative democracy, told reporters at a press conference Monday. He added that the Belgian presidency of the European Council "will work hard in the next few weeks to find possible ways out of this deadlock, and get the file back on the agenda for adoption in another council."
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US Under Fire for Downplaying Security Council Resolution as 'Nonbinding'
One expert accused the U.S. of working to "undermine and sabotage the U.N. Security Council, the 'rules-based order,' and international law."
Mar 26, 2024
Biden administration officials attempted Monday to downplay the significance of a newly passed United Nations Security Council resolution, drawing ire from human rights advocates who said the U.S. is undercutting international law and stonewalling attempts to bring Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza to an end.
The resolution "demands an immediate cease-fire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties, leading to a lasting sustainable cease-fire." The U.S., which previously vetoed several cease-fire resolutions, opted to abstain on Monday, allowing the measure to pass.
Shortly after the resolution's approval, several administration officialsāincluding State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfieldāfalsely characterized the measure as "nonbinding."
"It's a nonbinding resolution," Kirby told reporters. "So, there's no impact at all on Israel and Israel's ability to continue to go after Hamas."
Watch Matt Lee ask StateSpox about the passing of the UN ceasefire resolution. Basically the US position is it makes no difference and Miller calls š·šŗ/šØš³ veto cynical.
Lee: Do you expect Israel is going to announce a ceasefire?
Miller: I do not
Lee: Whatās the point of the UN? pic.twitter.com/FibaSKWjuh
ā Assal Rad (@AssalRad) March 25, 2024
Josh Ruebner, an adjunct lecturer at Georgetown University and former policy director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, wrote in response that "there is no such thing as a 'nonbinding' Security Council resolution."
"Israel's failure to abide by this resolution must open the door to the immediate imposition of Chapter VII sanctions," Ruebner wrote.
Beatrice Fihn, the director of Lex International and former executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, condemned what she called the Biden administration's "appalling behavior" in the wake of the resolution's passage. Fihn said the administration's downplaying of the resolution shows how the U.S. works to "openly undermine and sabotage the U.N. Security Council, the 'rules-based order,' and international law."
In a Monday op-ed for Common Dreams, Phyllis Bennis, a senior fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, warned that administration officials' claim that the resolution was "nonbinding" should be seen as "setting the stage for the U.S. government to violate the U.N. Charter by refusing to be bound by the resolution's terms."
While all U.N. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, they're difficult to enforce and regularly ignored by the Israeli government, which responded with outrage to the latest resolution and canceled an Israeli delegation's planned visit to the U.S.
Israel Katz, Israel's foreign minister,
wrote on social media Monday that "Israel will not cease fire."
The resolution passed amid growing global alarm over the humanitarian crisis that Israel has inflicted on the Gaza Strip, where most of the population of around 2.2 million is displaced and at increasingly dire risk of starvation.
Amnesty International secretary-general Agnes Callamard said Monday that it was "just plain irresponsible" of U.S. officials to "suggest that a resolution meant to save lives and address massive devastation and suffering can be disregarded."
In addition to demanding an immediate cease-fire, the Security Council resolution calls for the unconditional release of all remaining hostages and "emphasizes the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance."
Israel has systematically obstructed aid deliveries to Gaza, including
U.S.-funded flour shipments.
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general, stressed during a briefing Monday that "all the resolutions of the Security Council are international law."
"They are as binding as international laws," Haq said.
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āState of Emergency Declared After Cargo Ship Destroys Baltimore Bridge
Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin said he was "deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of everyone affected by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore."
Mar 26, 2024
A state of emergency was declared in Maryland early Tuesday morning after a large cargo ship slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, leading to its total collapse and sending a number of vehicles and people into the Patapsco River.
As the Baltimore Sunreports:
In a Tuesday morning news conference, just a few hours after the incident, Baltimore Fire Department Chief James Wallace said authorities are "still very much in an active search and rescue posture" noting they are searching for "upwards of seven individuals" and that sonar has detected the presence of vehicles in the water. There is no indication that the event was intentional, Wallace said.
"This is a tragedy that you could never imagine ā¦ It looked like something out of an action movie," Mayor Brandon Scott said.
In a later press conference, officials said that two members of a construction crew that was on the bridge at the time of the collision had been rescued while six others remained unaccounted for.
The terrifying footage of the bridge's collapseāwhich CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez commented was "almost unbelievable" to watchāis circulating widely on news channels and social media:
This video is almost unbelievable. The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore literally collapsed this morning after it was struck by this large ship. pic.twitter.com/rYuy4U2r7H
ā Omar Jimenez (@OmarJimenez) March 26, 2024
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Tuesday that he had spoken with Mayor Scott and well as Maryland Governor Wes Moore and was helping to coordinate federal assistance.
"Rescue efforts remain underway and drivers in the Baltimore area should follow local responder guidance on detours and response," said Buttigieg.
Moore said in a statement he had declared a state of emergency and that work was underway to "quickly deploy federal resources" to the area.
"We are thankful for the brave men and women who are carrying out efforts to rescue those involved and pray for everyone's safety," said Moore. "We will remain in close contact with federal, state, and local entities that are carrying out rescue efforts as we continue to assess and respond to this tragedy."
Early reporting indicated that no crew members aboard the container ship, which sails under a Singapore flag, were injured or missing. A local harbor pilot was also said to be on board at the time of the crash.
"Deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of everyone affected by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore," said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) following the accident. "I'm profoundly thankful to first responders on the scene and will track rescue efforts by local, state, and federal authorities."
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