Washington, D.C.-Leading national campaign reform groups Public Campaign and Common Cause today praised the new "accountability and transparency" package being put together by 20 to 30 freshman members of Congress. According to reports, the legislative package will contain the Fair Elections Now Act, which would sever the ties between special interest cash and members of Congress, and give voters a louder voice in what happens in our nation's capitol.

"These members of Congress have read the writing on the wall-voters want Congress to implement comprehensive solutions to fix our broken political system, not band-aids or half measures," said David Donnelly, campaign manager for the Campaign for Fair Elections. "The American people keep voting for change but they're not getting it. They'll continue until they actually get it."

"We applaud these members for their decision to include the Fair Elections Now Act as a critical piece of this reform package," said Donnelly. "It's impossible to address pay-to-play politics without addressing the root problem: the undue influence of special interest cash in our elections."

According to news reports this morning, the 20 to 30 House members will propose a reform package in the coming weeks that includes a variety of measures to address how the U.S. House of Representatives operates. The bipartisan Fair Elections Now Act (H.R. 1826), sponsored by Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), will be included in this package. The legislation currently has the broad, bipartisan and cross-caucus support of 150 U.S. House members. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and 18 of his colleagues are sponsors of companion legislation in the Senate.

With Fair Elections, candidates turn their sights away from big donors and instead seek support from a large number of people back home. They run for office with small donations and Fair Elections funds. Fair Elections puts voters in charge, instead of wealthy donors.