Terms of Service

Welcome to MyCapitol. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of MyCapitol's website, services, and applications (collectively, the "Service"). The Service is operated by MyCapitol, a District of Columbia nonprofit organization (EIN: 39-3244027).

By creating an account, accessing our website, or using any part of our Service, you agree to:

• Be bound by these Terms of Service
• Comply with our Privacy Policy
• Follow all applicable laws and regulations
• Accept responsibility for your use of the Service

If you are using the Service on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. When we make changes, we will:

• Update the "Effective Date" at the top of this page
• Post the revised Terms on this page
• Notify users via email or prominent site notice for material changes

Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the new Terms, you must stop using the Service.

Material changes include modifications to liability, warranties, dispute resolution, or fundamental service functionality. We will provide at least 30 days' notice for material changes.

Age Requirement: You must be at least 13 years old to use MyCapitol. Users between 13 and 17 should have parental or guardian permission.

Account Creation: To access certain features, you must create an account. When registering, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information
• Maintain and update your information to keep it accurate
• Keep your account credentials confidential
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access
• Accept responsibility for all activities under your account

Account Security: You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account. MyCapitol is not liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to protect your account credentials.

One Account Per Person: Each user may maintain only one account. Multiple accounts created by the same person may be terminated without notice.

MyCapitol is designed to promote civic engagement and transparency in government. You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms.

Permitted Uses:

• Tracking federal legislation and congressional activity
• Researching representatives' sponsorships and legislative activity
• Following bills and receiving updates
• Creating personal notes on legislation (for your own use)
• Using AI-powered summaries and search features
• Sharing public information through provided sharing tools

Our Content: The Service, including its design, code, graphics, user interface, and original content, is owned by MyCapitol and protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

Public Domain Content: Legislative data (bills, sponsorships, congressional records) is public domain information from U.S. government sources. However, our compilation, organization, and presentation of this data is protected.

AI-Generated Content: AI-generated bill summaries and analysis created by MyCapitol using Claude API are proprietary to MyCapitol. You may view and use them for personal, non-commercial purposes but may not republish or redistribute them without permission.

Exception — Wikipedia-Derived Content: AI-generated member biographical summaries are derived from Wikipedia articles and are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). These summaries may be freely shared under the same license with appropriate attribution to Wikipedia and MyCapitol. See Section 9 (Data Sources & Attribution) for details.

Permitted Use: You may:

• Access and view public information for personal, non-commercial use
• Share links to MyCapitol pages and content
• Quote brief excerpts with proper attribution

Restricted Use: You may NOT:

• Copy, reproduce, or redistribute substantial portions of our content
• Create derivative works based on our Service
• Remove copyright or attribution notices
• Use our trademarks or branding without permission

Your Notes: When you create personal notes on bills or representatives, you retain ownership of that content. Your notes are encrypted and private by default.

License to MyCapitol: By creating content on our Service, you grant MyCapitol a limited, non-exclusive license to store, display, and process your content solely to provide the Service to you. We will not share, sell, or publicly display your private notes.

Responsibility for Content: You are solely responsible for the content you create. You represent that:

• You own or have rights to all content you submit
• Your content does not violate any laws or third-party rights
• Your content does not contain malicious code or illegal material

Content Removal: We reserve the right (but have no obligation) to remove content that violates these Terms or is otherwise objectionable.

MyCapitol aggregates data from multiple public and third-party sources. The following describes each data source, its licensing terms, and any attribution requirements.

MyCapitol is an independent nonprofit platform and is not endorsed by, affiliated with, or sponsored by any of the data sources listed above.

MyCapitol may contain links to third-party websites, services, or resources, including:

• Congress.gov (official U.S. government legislative database)
• Congressional representatives' official websites
• Government agencies and departments
• News sources and research organizations

No Endorsement: These links are provided for convenience only. MyCapitol does not endorse, control, or assume responsibility for third-party content or services.

Third-Party Terms: Your use of third-party services is subject to their own terms of service and privacy policies. We encourage you to review their terms before use.

Authentication Provider: We use Clerk for account authentication. By creating an account, you also agree to Clerk's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Service Availability: We strive to provide reliable service but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. The Service may be unavailable due to:

• Scheduled maintenance (we'll provide notice when possible)
• Technical difficulties or system failures
• Third-party service provider outages
• Force majeure events beyond our control

Right to Modify: We reserve the right to:

• Modify, suspend, or discontinue any feature or service
• Change pricing for premium features (with notice)
• Update system requirements or supported platforms
• Implement new features or remove existing ones

No Liability: MyCapitol is not liable for any loss or inconvenience resulting from service interruptions, modifications, or discontinuation.

Service Discontinuation: If we decide to permanently discontinue the Service, we will provide at least 60 days' notice and opportunity to export your data.

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless MyCapitol, its directors, officers, employees, volunteers, contractors, and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, costs, investigations, liabilities, judgments, fines, penalties, settlements, and expenses (including attorneys' fees) that directly or indirectly arise from or are related to:

• Your use or misuse of the Service
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any law, regulation, or third-party rights
• Your content or notes that you submit to the Service
• Any claim that your use caused damage to a third party
• Your breach of any representation or warranty in these Terms

Defense Rights: MyCapitol reserves the right to assume exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by you, in which case you agree to cooperate with our defense of such claim.

Your Right to Terminate: You may terminate your account at any time by:

• Using the account deletion feature in your settings
• Contacting us at support@mycapitol.ai

Upon termination, your data will be deleted in accordance with our Privacy Policy (within 30 days).

Our Right to Terminate: We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account and access to the Service, with or without notice, for:

• Violation of these Terms of Service
• Fraudulent, abusive, or illegal activity
• Repeated complaints from other users
• Technical or security threats
• Extended periods of inactivity (we'll provide notice)
• Any reason we deem necessary to protect the Service or other users

Effect of Termination: Upon termination:

• Your right to use the Service immediately ceases
• You lose access to your account and data
• Sections of these Terms that by nature should survive (liability limitations, indemnification, etc.) remain in effect
• No refunds will be provided for any unused subscription periods (if applicable)

Governing Law: These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the District of Columbia, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

Jurisdiction: You agree that any legal action or proceeding arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be brought exclusively in the federal or local courts located in the District of Columbia, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.

Informal Resolution: Before filing any legal claim, you agree to first contact us at support@mycapitol.ai to attempt to resolve the dispute informally. We will attempt to resolve disputes in good faith within 30 days.

Class Action Waiver: To the extent permitted by law, any dispute resolution proceedings will be conducted on an individual basis and not in a class, consolidated, or representative action.

Consumer Rights: This choice of law and dispute resolution does not affect your mandatory consumer protection rights under the laws of your country of residence.

Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and MyCapitol regarding the Service and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.

Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

Waiver: No waiver of any term or condition shall be deemed a continuing waiver of such term or any other term. Our failure to enforce any right or provision in these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

Assignment: You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your account to any third party without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms to any affiliate or successor organization.

Force Majeure: MyCapitol shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, war, terrorism, strikes, internet outages, or government actions.

Relationship: Nothing in these Terms creates any partnership, joint venture, employment, or agency relationship between you and MyCapitol. You have no authority to bind MyCapitol in any manner.

Notices: We may provide notices to you via email to the address associated with your account or by posting on the Service. You agree that electronic notices satisfy any legal communication requirements.