Protecting Our Democracy Act
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
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 federal offenses committed by a sitting President or Vice President,
prohibits the acceptance of foreign or domestic emoluments, and
sets forth provisions regarding Office of Government Ethics and Office of Special Counsel jurisdiction and enforcement authority.
To address checks and balances, accountability, and transparency, the bill
authorizes specified actions to enforce congressional subpoenas,
imposes limits on presidential declarations of emergencies,
requires DOJ to maintain a log of specified communications between itself and the White House,
requires cause for removal of inspectors general,
increases whistleblower protections,
requires a candidate for President or Vice President to submit to the Federal Election Commission a copy of the individual's income tax returns for the 10 most recent taxable years, 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 Senate" stage on September 30, 2021. 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 30, 2021: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- 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 117th Congress (2021-22), 362 of the 15,242 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?
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced it on September 30, 2021, and 10 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 9 Democrats, 1 independent.
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 30, 2021, 1806 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 1806 days ago, on September 30, 2021.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 117th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2023 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
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers