Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Co 2)
Washington, D.C. — Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse introduced the Town Halls for All Act, a bill to ensure Members of Congress are staying connected to the communities they serve. Neguse himself has made hosting in-person, public town halls a priority for his office since first being elected to represent Colorado’s 2nd District in Congress. During his time in public office he’s hosted over 100 public town halls, 28 of which have fallen within the current legislature — a grand total that surpasses every member of Colorado’s congressional delegation combined.
As fewer elected officials from both sides of the aisle hold in-person town halls — opting for virtual gatherings or avoiding community conversations altogether — Neguse’s legislation would require all Members of both the House and Senate to hold at least 12 public town halls within their congressional district every calendar year. The bill also provides admittance, accessibility, and awareness guidelines to ensure that every individual interested in attending one of these meetings has the opportunity to do so.
“When you represent one of the largest congressional districts in the country — bigger than eight states and spanning 12,000 square miles — you understand how vital it is to spend time meeting directly with your constituents. That’s why I’ve hosted over 100 town-halls since first being elected, in rural, suburban and urban towns and communities across Western and Northern Colorado — to better understand their concerns, their hopes, and their dreams. It is time for all public officials to do the same, which is why I’ve introduced the Town Halls for All Act, which creates a gold standard for constituent access, and requires all Representatives and Senators to host at least 12 public town halls a year and ensures that the public officials Americans elected are responsive to the needs of their constituents,” said Congressman Joe Neguse.
Click HERE to read the bill text.
The bill is endorsed by Indivisible, an organization working to connect Americans with opportunities to attend town hall meetings in congressional districts across the country.
“In a democracy that works, elected officials should be accountable to the people they represent — and that means showing up, listening to constituents, and answering for their actions. Town halls are a crucial way for voters to engage directly with the people elected to serve them, and the Town Halls for All Act would make that kind of direct accountability the norm, not the exception,” said Andrew O’Neill, National Advocacy Director of Indivisible.
Background
At 42-years-old, Congressman Joe Neguse is the youngest Democrat in his state’s federal delegation, and as such he’s been working to rally a coalition of next-generation lawmakers in an effort to put power back in the hands of the American people. In addition to the newly introduced Town Halls for All Act, his efforts include introducing a measure to overturn the disastrous Citizens Uniteddecision, preventing unrestrained spending and dark money in elections; championing multiple proposals to ban Members of Congress from trading stocks, including co-leading the bipartisan consensus Restore Trust in Congress Act; and spearheading the End Corruption Now legislative agenda, seven bills that effectively stop the selling of access and influence in our nation’s capital.
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