Protecting Our Democracy Act

Presidential Accountability regarding Pardons: The bill requires the Attorney General to submit all prosecution and investigative materials to Congress when certain pardons are granted, which increases transparency around the pardon power (Sec. 1102).

Prevention of Self-Pardons: The act explicitly declares that any presidential pardon granted to oneself is void and does not provide legal immunity (Sec. 1104).

Ensuring Legal Accountability for Leaders: The bill tolls the statute of limitations for offenses committed by the President or Vice President during their tenure, ensuring they can be prosecuted even after leaving office (Sec. 1202).

Protection of Presidential Integrity: Former Presidents convicted of a felony may lose their monetary allowances and must repay certain funds (Sec. 1204).

Prevention of Foreign Influence: The act prohibits senior Federal officials from accepting foreign payments without Congressional consent, which helps prevent foreign influence over U.S. officials (Sec. 1303, Sec. 1305).

Empowering Congressional Oversight: The bill gives Congress more power to enforce subpoenas and review how agencies manage and report on budget and appropriations law (Sec. 2102, Sec. 2223).

Whistleblower Protections: The act includes provisions to enhance whistleblower protections and protect the identities of those in the intelligence community (Sec. 2421, Sec. 2443).

Increased Congressional Oversight of Emergencies: The President must now specify which laws they are using to exercise emergency powers, and the President cannot declare subsequent emergencies for the same circumstances if a joint resolution of approval is not enacted (Section 2261).

Improved Whistleblower Protections: The bill expands protections to include the commencement or expansion of investigations and protects the right to employees to petition Congress (Section s 2421).

Greater Transparency for Legal Opinions: The Attorney General is required to publish final OLC opinions on a publicly accessible website in an open format, providing the public with the essence of the opinion even if parts are withheld (Section 2255, Subsection c).

Stronger Ethics Standards for Appointees: New appointees must sign an ethics pledge that includes bans on lobbyist gifts and "revolving door" restrictions to prevent conflicts of interest (Section 2642).

Enhanced Accountability for Acting Officials: Individuals serving in an acting capacity are now required to appear before appropriate congressional committees at least once every 60 days (Section 2502).

Increased Transparency for Candidates: Presidential and vice presidential candidates must submit ten years of income tax returns to the Federal Election Commission, making this information available to the public (Section (b)(1)).

Enhanced Oversight of the Executive Office: The bill establishes an Inspector General specifically for the Executive Office of the President to provide independent oversight (Section 2802(a)).

Improved Digital Ad Transparency: The "Honest Ads Act" requires online platforms to maintain and provide public records of qualified political advertisements, including details on cost and audience reach (Section 3305(a)).

Clearer Disclosure for Online Ads: Digital and internet communications must include clear and conspicuous statements identifying who paid for the communication (Section 3304(a)).

Protection Against Foreign Interference: The bill mandates that political committees notify the FBI and the Commission of reportable foreign contacts to help track potential interference (Section 3101(a)).

Greater Accountability for Official Visits: The President is required to maintain a publicly available database of visitor records for locations like the White House, including the names of visitors and the purpose of their visits (Section 3502(a)).

Stricter Ethics for Executive Officials: The bill requires officials to recuse themselves from matters affecting the financial interests of their previous employers if they served there within the last four years (Section 3702).

Restrictions on Political Contributions: Inaugural Committees are prohibited from accepting donations from anyone other than an individual, which limits fundraising options (Sec. 1310).

Strict Limits on Individual Donations: The bill sets a $50,000 limit on aggregate donations to Inaugural Committees, which restricts how much a single person can contribute (Sec. 1310).

Increased Compliance Burdens for Officials: Senior Federal officials face significant new requirements for disclosing and obtaining consent for receiving foreign payments (Sec. 1305).

Restrictions on Legal Expense Funds: The bill prohibits registered lobbyists and agents of foreign principals from contributing to legal expense funds for the President, Vice President, or political appointees (Sec. 1309).

Restrictions on Presidential Emergency Authority: The President's ability to exercise certain powers is subject to a joint resolution of approval by Congress, and failure to obtain such approval can prevent the exercise of those powers for the remainder of the President's term (Section 2261).

Limitations on International Emergency Economic Powers: The President is explicitly denied the authority to impose duties or tariff-rate quotas under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (Section 2261).

Strict Ethics Constraints for Appointees: The new ethics pledge includes various bans on participation in matters related to former employers or clients, which may limit the professional opportunities of incoming officials (Section 2642).

Presidential Restrictions on Oversight: The President has the authority to prohibit an Inspector General from initiating or completing an investigation or issuing a subpoena regarding certain sensitive matters, such as undercover operations or intelligence (Section 425(a)(2)).

Burden on Political Committees: Political committees are required to establish specific policies for notifying officials of foreign contacts and must maintain those records for at least three years (Section 3102(a)).

Compliance Costs for Online Platforms: Online platforms must maintain detailed digital records of political advertisements and provide them in a machine-readable format (Section 3305(a)).

Restrictions on Civil Service Employees: Employees in the competitive service may be prevented from transferring to the excepted service without their written consent (Section 3402(b)(4)).

Criminal Penalties for Political Conventions: Holding a national political party convention on federal property can result in heavy civil penalties or imprisonment (Section 612(b)).