WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on House Administration held the second hearing in our American Confidence in Elections Act series, focusing on the importance of protecting political speech. This hearing took place almost a decade to the day since the IRS scandal involving then Acting Director of Exempt Organizations Lois Lerner apologizing for inappropriately targeting conservative organizations' applications for tax-exempt status.

TOP TAKEAWAYS:
The American Confidence in Elections (ACE) Act will boost voter confidence by preventing another Lois Lerner scandal from occurring.

Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01): "The ACE Act will finally prohibit the IRS, and any other federal agency, from asking for an organization’s donor list, creating ad hoc standards, and applying them to ideologically opposed groups. This will help to protect individuals from retribution, harassment, or intimidation based on their beliefs."
Click the image or here to view Chairman Steil's full remarks. 
The Democrat witness opposed making historically bipartisan donor privacy protections permanent.

Representative Griffith: "It's almost ten years to the day after the fateful announcement by Lois Lerner and the IRS that the agency was favoring groups when given tax-exempt status. While Congress has passed language on a bipartisan basis each year since 2013 to prevent another Lois Lerner situation, it's time to make those protections permanent. Would you agree?

*All panel members answer yes, except for Stephen Spalding, Vice President of Policy of Common Cause, who won't answer.*

Rep. Griffith: "I will take that as a no."
Click the image or here to view Representative Griffith's full Q&A. 
Legislation is required to prevent federal agencies, like the IRS and DHS, from censoring speech or targeting individuals in private and in public with ‘cancel culture’.

Subcommittee on Elections Chair Laurel Lee (FL-15), on the Lois Lerner IRS scandal: "What legislation could be enacted to prevent further abuses of this nature?"

Mr. Brad Smith: "Basically, it should say the bipartisan FEC, which is supposed to interpret campaign finance law, will determine whether a group is engaging in political activity under the law, and the IRS merely administers the tax side of things."
Click the image or here to view Representative Lee's full Q&A.
Censorship has been used as a tool to silence political opponents.

Representative Anthony D'Esposito (NY-04): "What impact do you believe censorship has on political speech in both the online platforms as well as other censorship? What is its overall effect on general elections?"

Ms. Harmeet Dillon: "We saw hundreds, perhaps thousands, just in California alone, who had their posts or their speech about the 2020 elections, which is, of course, protected political speech, removed. This has caused many of those citizens to believe that their voice no longer matters, it deters them from voting. It certainly deters them from speaking as well. This is un-American. The First Amendment is the First Amendment for a reason. It is the fundamental premise on which we Americans act... Censorship is antithetical to America. The antidote to speech you don't like is more speech. This is the fundamental premise of our First Amendment."
Click the image or here to view Representative D'Esposito's full Q&A.
Congressman Mike Johnson (LA-04), member of the Judiciary Committee's Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, waived on to the committee to participate in today's hearing.
Government censorship of political speech is illegal, yet continues to occur under the Biden Administration.

Representative Johnson: "It's become common practice now for various groups, and even federal agencies, to pursue retribution against Americans for simply exercising their First Amendment right to participate in the political process. In the Weaponization Committee, we have uncovered alarming information about the IRS targeting conservative groups. You know the name and shame tactics of the radical left, we know that none other than the FBI itself quite literally colluded with the social media platforms during the last two election cycles to sensor and silence viewpoints they disagreed with."
Click the image or here to view Representative Johnson's Q&A.
Majority Witness List:
Harmeet K. Dhillon - Managing Partner, Dhillon Law Group Inc.
Brad Smith - Former Chairman, Federal Election Commission
Audrey Perry Martin - Partner, Gober Group
Justin Riemer - Principal, Riemer Law
Watch the full hearing here.