A bipartisan group of 16 senators introduced legislation on Wednesday to reform and modernize the Electoral Count Act of 1887, including by clarifying the role of the vice president in certifying presidential elections.

Why it matters: The bill, if passed by the House and Senate, would mark the first major legislative response to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and the events that it preceded it.

• It's the culmination of months of negotiations by senators — led by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) — who set out find common ground on electoral reform after Republicans first expressed interest in January.

Details: The first bill is narrowly focused on reforming the 1887 law that former President Trump tried to exploit to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

• It clarifies that the role of the vice president is solely ceremonial with no power to unilaterally reject electors, which Trump and lawyer John Eastman were pressuring former Vice President Mike Pence to do to prevent President Biden from winning.