With some conservatives flirting with expanding antitrust enforcement to punish Silicon Valley, they risk playing into Senator Amy Klobuchar’s radical vision for government control.

FreedomWorks is proud to announce that our inaugural Bill of the Month for 2021 is the Save Democracy Act, H.R. 322. This bill is a product of the House Republican Study Committee (RSC), and was introduced by their new Chairman, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.). The Save Democracy Act would establish stricter guidelines for the administration of federal elections by the states to ensure that, moving forward, America can count on the integrity of our electoral process.

In the wake of the stunning assault on the U.S. Capitol building on January 6th, it is inevitable that emotionally-charged reactions by Congress will ensue, as after any major crisis. In particular, there is concern that legislation may move early in this new Congress to try to expand the treatment of “domestic terrorism.” A justified desire to punish those who committed an unprecedented act of violence and vandalism must not lead to a contraction of the civil liberties of peaceful protestors or their right to political dissent.

One of the cornerstone principles of the Western legal tradition is the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Over the last century, the imposition of bail requirements for accused offenders has flipped that presumption on its head, frequently making pre-trial freedom contingent on cash bail amounts well above the ability of an average citizen to pay. This issue brief explores how this came to be and aims to set out principles for states to use in reforming their bail guidelines. The goal is a return to a system that truly serves both justice and public safety.

The latest in FreedomWorks' series of issue briefs on important topics in criminal justice reform examines judicial supervision - probation and parole - in the states. Offenders who receive probation sentences or who are released early under parole supervision are often thought of as having "gotten off easy." The reality is that in many states, judicial supervision systems have become so overwhelmed that they are neither helping offenders transition to normal life nor keeping the public safe from those who re-offend.

After yet another Congressional hearing on antitrust enforcement against big tech, it is being widely reported that a forthcoming report by Democrats on the Subcommittee on Antitrust will recommend breaking up several digital economy titans. This seemed inevitable; Chairman Cicilline (D-R.I.)’s remarks during the previous hearing, and for years prior, make clear that the desire to break up Big Tech was not contingent upon evidence gathered from hearings. What is disturbing from a conservative standpoint is the possibility that some Republicans are likely to at least partially join those calls.

The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Consumer Policy, and Consumer Rights is meeting this week to discuss whether Google has engaged in anti-competitive business practices through its domination of the online advertising market. Led by Subcommittee Chairman Mike Lee (R-Utah), this hearing should have less of the circus atmosphere than last month’s House hearing on antitrust and big tech, which seemed more like an excuse for both parties to yell at Silicon Valley’s most powerful CEOs for soundbites.

FreedomWorks is proud to honor Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) as our member of the month for September 2020. Senator Paul’s voting record has been 98 percent in alignment with FreedomWorks’ Congressional Scorecard over the ten years he has served as Kentucky’s junior U.S. Senator. During that time, he has consistently been a source and fearless champion of some of the best, limited-government legislation across a wide spectrum of issues.