Protecting Our Democracy Act
Latest action. Referred to the Committee on oversightCongress's review of how the executive branch carries out the laws it passed: hearings, document demands, investigations, and the spending power behind them.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) 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 jurisdictionA court's legal authority to hear a case: over the subject matter, the parties, and the territory.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) of the committee concerned.
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.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on September 23, 2020. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 23, 2020: 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.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 116th Congress (2019-20), 344 of the 14,345 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA) introduced it on September 23, 2020, and 92 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 92 Democrats.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on September 23, 2020, 2178 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2178 days ago, on September 23, 2020.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 116th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2021 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers