Hartford, Conn.- Public Campaign issued the following statement from its President and CEO Nick Nyhart thanking Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) and four Connecticut U.S. House colleagues, Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Jim Himes (D-Conn.), for their leadership on H.R. 1826, the Fair Elections Now Act:

"By sponsoring the Fair Elections Now Act, Rep. John Larson, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, has demonstrated a commitment to lead Congress and America toward elections that focus on voters, not big money donors. Rep. Larson has seen the success of Connecticut's Citizens' Election Program and is holding up the program as a model for the nation. In the same way that Connecticut's Citizens' Election Program has ended the campaign money chase, so too will the Fair Elections Now Act free Congress from constant fund raising. Public Campaign applauds Reps. Courtney, DeLauro, Himes, and Murphy for joining their colleague as co-sponsors of the Fair Elections Now Act. They recognize full well that the time they must spend fund raising takes hours away from serving constituents and dealing with the pressing issues-like health care, clean energy, and creating jobs-they must address."

The Fair Elections Now Act was introduced by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) and Reps. Larson and Walter Jones (R-N.C.) on March 31, 2009. It would establish a system of small dollar contributions and public financing for congressional campaigns, freeing candidates from taking special interest dollars and the expectations that often accompany them.

Based in Washington, D.C., Public Campaign is a national non-profit non-partisan organization dedicated to sweeping campaign reform laws that aim to dramatically reduce the role of big money in politics.