3.0.0 4880 2023-01-11T13:44:21Z 2023-01-11T13:44:21Z Senate S 2020-10-26 116 ssga00 Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Senate Standing Referred to 2020-10-27T00:33:09Z To amend title 5, United States Code, to allow whistleblowers to disclose information to certain recipients. 116 1064 HR 2019-02-12 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Related bill CRS Inspector General Protection Act 116 1847 HR 2019-07-18 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Related bill CRS Prohibiting Foreign Election Assistance Act of 2019 116 3395 HR 2019-06-20 Referred to the House Committee on House Administration. Related bill CRS Accountability for Acting Officials Act 116 6689 HR 2020-05-01 Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. Related bill CRS Inspector General Independence Act 116 6984 HR 2020-05-22 Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. Related bill CRS Abuse of the Pardon Prevention Act 116 7694 HR 2020-07-23 Ordered to be Reported (Amended). Related bill CRS Merit Systems Protection Board Empowerment Act of 2020 116 7864 HR 2020-07-30 Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. Related bill CRS Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act of 2020 116 7935 HR 2020-08-04 Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. Related bill CRS Congressional Subpoena Compliance and Enforcement Act of 2020 116 8335 HR 2020-09-22 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. Related bill CRS Protecting Our Democracy Act 116 8363 HR 2020-09-23 Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, the Budget, Transportation and Infrastructure, Rules, Foreign Affairs, Ways and Means, Intelligence (Permanent Select), and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. Related bill CRS Foreign Influence Reporting in Elections Act 116 2242 S 2019-07-23 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration. Related bill CRS Trade Certainty Act of 2019 116 2413 S 2019-08-01 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. Related bill CRS REIGN Act of 2020 116 4279 S 2020-07-22 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Related bill CRS Congressional Power of the Purse Act 116 3889 S 2020-06-04 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Related bill CRS 2020-10-26 ssga00 Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. IntroReferral 2020-10-26 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress K000367 Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] Amy Klobuchar D MN N B001277 Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] Richard Blumenthal D CT 2020-10-26 True C001088 Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] Christopher Coons D DE A. 2020-10-26 True F000062 Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] Dianne Feinstein D CA 2020-10-26 True M001176 Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] Jeff Merkley D OR 2020-10-26 True S000033 Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] Bernard Sanders I VT 2020-10-26 True W000817 Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] Elizabeth Warren D MA A. 2020-10-26 True W000779 Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] Ron Wyden D OR 2020-10-26 True Government Operations and Politics Administrative law and regulatory procedures Appropriations Budget process Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Civil actions and liability Congressional elections Congressional oversight Congressional-executive branch relations Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation Criminal procedure and sentencing Defense spending Department of Defense Department of Justice Director of National Intelligence Elections, voting, political campaign regulation Employment discrimination and employee rights Evidence and witnesses Executive agency funding and structure Federal officials Fraud offenses and financial crimes Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management Government ethics and transparency, public corruption Government information and archives Government studies and investigations Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information Judges Judicial procedure and administration Labor standards Lawyers and legal services Legal fees and court costs Legislative rules and procedure Merit Systems Protection Board Military operations and strategy National Security Agency Office of Government Ethics Political advertising Political parties and affiliation Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents Public participation and lobbying Research administration and funding Right of privacy Subversive activities Supreme Court Tariffs War and emergency powers Government Operations and Politics 00 2020-10-26 Introduced in Senate 2021-02-22T21:30:29Z Protecting Our Democracy Act

This bill addresses issues involving (1) abuses of presidential power; (2) checks and balances, accountability, and transparency; and (3) foreign interference in elections.

Specifically, regarding abuses of presidential power, the bill

  • requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the President to submit to Congress specified materials relating to certain pardons;
  • prohibits self-pardons by the President;
  • suspends the statute of limitations for any federal offense committed by a sitting President or Vice President;
  • prohibits the acceptance of foreign or domestic emoluments, authorizes civil actions by Congress concerning foreign emoluments, and requires the President to make certain disclosures; and
  • sets forth provisions regarding enforcement authority of the Office of Government Ethics and Office of Special Counsel jurisdiction.

To address checks and balances, accountability, and transparency, the bill, among other things

  • authorizes specified actions to enforce congressional subpoenas,
  • requires appropriations to be made available for obligation in a timely manner,
  • imposes limits on presidential declarations of emergencies,
  • requires DOJ to maintain a log of communications between it and the White House regarding certain investigations,
  • requires cause for removal of inspectors general,
  • increases whistleblower protections,
  • reauthorizes the Merit Systems Protection Board, and
  • establishes penalties for political appointees who engage in prohibited political activities.

To protect against foreign interference in elections, the bill

  • requires federal campaign reporting of foreign contacts,
  • requires federal campaigns to establish a foreign contacts compliance policy, and
  • specifies that foreign donations to political campaigns and candidates of nonpublic information relating to a candidate are prohibited.
]]> Protecting Our Democracy Act Display Title Protecting Our Democracy Act Short Title(s) as Introduced Protecting Our Democracy Act Introduced in Senate IS Short Title(s) as Introduced for portions of this bill Merit Systems Protection Board Empowerment Act of 2020 Introduced in Senate IS Short Title(s) as Introduced for portions of this bill Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act of 2020 Introduced in Senate IS Short Title(s) as Introduced for portions of this bill Inspector General Protection Act Introduced in Senate IS Short Title(s) as Introduced for portions of this bill Inspector General Independence Act Introduced in Senate IS Short Title(s) as Introduced for portions of this bill Hatch Act Accountability Act Introduced in Senate IS Short Title(s) as Introduced for portions of this bill Accountability for Acting Officials Act Introduced in Senate IS Short Title(s) as Introduced for portions of this bill Security from Political Interference in Justice Act of 2020 Introduced in Senate IS Short Title(s) as Introduced for portions of this bill Congressional Power of the Purse Act Introduced in Senate IS Short Title(s) as Introduced for portions of this bill Congressional Subpoena Compliance and Enforcement Act Introduced in Senate IS Short Title(s) as Introduced for portions of this bill Foreign and Domestic Emoluments Enforcement Act Introduced in Senate IS Short Title(s) as Introduced for portions of this bill No President is Above the Law Act Introduced in Senate IS Short Title(s) as Introduced for portions of this bill Abuse of the Pardon Power Prevention Act Introduced in Senate IS Official Title as Introduced A bill to protect our democracy by preventing abuses of Presidential power, restoring checks and balances and accountability and transparency in government, and defending elections against foreign interference, and for other purposes. Introduced in Senate IS Introduced in Senate 2020-10-26T04:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-116s4880is/xml/BILLS-116s4880is.xml 2020-10-26 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.