Protecting Our Democracy Act

Schiff, Adam B.

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 <ul> <li>requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the President to submit to Congress specified materials relating to certain pardons,</li> <li> prohibits self-pardons by the President,</li> <li>suspends the statute of limitations for federal offenses committed by a sitting President or Vice President,</li> <li>prohibits the acceptance of foreign or domestic emoluments, and</li> <li>sets forth provisions regarding Office of Government Ethics and Office of Special Counsel jurisdiction and enforcement authority.</li> </ul> To address checks and balances, accountability, and transparency, the bill <ul> <li>authorizes specified actions to enforce congressional subpoenas,</li> <li>imposes limits on presidential declarations of emergencies,</li> <li>requires DOJ to maintain a log of specified communications between it and the White House,</li> <li>requires cause for removal of inspectors general,</li> <li>increases whistleblower protections,</li> <li>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</li> <li>establishes penalties for political appointees who engage in prohibited political activities.</li> </ul> To protect against foreign interference in elections, the bill<ul> <li>requires federal campaign reporting of foreign contacts,</li> <li>requires federal campaigns to establish a foreign contacts compliance policy, and </li> <li>specifies that foreign donations to political campaigns and candidates of nonpublic information relating to a candidate are prohibited. </li> </ul>