111th Congress Transparency Bills

= December 2010 =

House Bills and Resolutions

 * H.R. 6484. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for reporting and disclosure by State and local public employee retirement pension plans.
 * H.R. 6506. A bill to amend section 798 of title 18, United States Code, to provide penalties for disclosure of classified information related to certain intelligence activities of the United States, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
 * H.Res. 1749. A resolution requesting the President to transmit to the House of Representatives all documents in the possession of the President relating to a review being conducted by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence described in a document dated December 1, 2010; to the Committee on Intelligence (Permanent Select).
 * H. Res. 1754. A resolution amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to require the citation of the specific powers granted to Congress in the Constitution be included in introduced bills and joint resolutions as a basis for enacting the laws proposed by such bills and joint resolutions, including amendments and conference reports; to the Committee on Rules.

Senate Bills

 * S. 3996. A bill to amend the Truth in Lending Act and the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require additional disclosures and protections for students and cosigners with respect to student loans, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
 * S. 4004. A bill to amend section 798 of title 18, United States Code, to provide penalties for disclosure of classified information related to certain intelligence activities and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
 * S. 4050. A bill to amend the Classified Information Procedures Act to improve the protection of classified information and for other purposes.

= November 2010 =

Senate Bills

 * S. 3939, A bill to reform earmarking and increase transparency and accountability for all expenditures authorized by Congress and all executive agencies of the Federal Government; to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
 * S. 3961, A bill to amend the E-Government Act of 2002 (44 U.S.C. 3501 note) to reform the electronic rulemaking process; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

= October 2010 =

House Bills

 * H.R. 6250, A bill to establish the terms and conditions States must follow in carrying out Congressional redistricting; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
 * H.R. 6286, A bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to repeal the limitation on the annual aggregate amount of contributions individuals may make to candidates for election for Federal office, to repeal the limitations on the amount of coordinated expenditures by political parties, and to protect uncompensated Internet activity by individuals from treatment as a contribution or expenditure under the Act; to the Committee on House Administration.
 * H.R. 6289, A bill to direct the Librarian of Congress to make available to the public the bulk legislative summary and status data used to provide the information posted on the THOMAS website, and for other purposes; to the Committee on House Administration.

Senate Bills and Resolutions

 * S. Res. 665, A resolution to require a witness before a committee hearing to file a disclosure form identifying substantial financial interests or compensation from an organization or company directly related to the subject of a hearing; to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
 * S. 3909, A bill to restore accountability and congressional oversight to the defense contracting process; to the Committee on Armed Services.
 * S. 3924, A bill to promote transparency and accountability concerning the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; to the Committee on Finance.

= September 2010 =

House Bills

 * H.R. 6250, A bill to establish the terms and conditions States must follow in carrying out Congressional redistricting; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
 * H.R. 6286, A bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to repeal the limitation on the annual aggregate amount of contributions individuals may make to candidates for election for Federal office, to repeal the limitations on the amount of coordinated expenditures by political parties, and to protect uncompensated Internet activity by individuals from treatment as a contribution or expenditure under the Act; to the Committee on House Administration.
 * H.R. 6289, A bill to direct the Librarian of Congress to make available to the public the bulk legislative summary and status data used to provide the information posted on the THOMAS website, and for other purposes; to the Committee on House Administration.
 * H.R. 6223, A bill to establish a Congressional Office of Regulatory Analysis, to require the periodic review and automatic termination of Federal regulations, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
 * H.R. 6145, A bill to require Members of Congress to disclose delinquent tax liability, require an ethics inquiry, and garnish the wages of a Member with Federal tax liability; to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, 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.
 * H.R. 6116, A bill to reform the financing of House elections, and for other purposes; to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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.

Senate Bills and Resolutions

 * S. Res. 665, A resolution to require a witness before a committee hearing to file a disclosure form identifying substantial financial interests or compensation from an organization or company directly related to the subject of a hearing; to the Committee on Rules and Administration.


 * S.Res.662, A resolution to amend the Standing Rules of the Senate to reform the filibuster rules to improve the daily process of the Senate; to the Committee on Rules and Administration.


 * S. 3909, A bill to restore accountability and congressional oversight to the defense contracting process; to the Committee on Armed Services.
 * S. 3924, A bill to promote transparency and accountability concerning the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; to the Committee on Finance.
 * S. 3853, A bill to modernize and refine the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, to require quarterly performance reviews of Federal policy and management priorities, to establish Chief Operating Officers, Performance Improvement Officers, and the Performance Improvement Council, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.
 * S. 3791, A bill to require Members of Congress to disclose delinquent tax liability, require an ethics inquiry, and garnish the wages of a Member with Federal tax liability.
 * S. 3779, A bill to provide for comprehensive budget reform in order to increase transparency and reduce the deficit; to the Committee on the Budget.
 * S. 3783, A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase the threshold amount subject to information reporting at source, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.

= August 2010 =

House Bills

 * H.R. 6086, A bill to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Company Act of 1940, and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to provide for certain disclosures under section 552 of title 5, United States Code, (commonly referred to as the Freedom of Information Act), and for other purposes; to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 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.
 * H.R. 6098, A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to ensure that persons who form corporations in the United States disclose the beneficial owners of those corporations, in order to prevent wrongdoers from exploiting United States corporations for criminal gain, to assist law enforcement in detecting, preventing, and punishing terrorism, money laundering, and other misconduct involving United States corporations, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Financial Services.
 * H.R. 6103, A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Labor to publish on an Internet website certain information about the number of veterans who are employed by Federal contractors; to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
 * H.R. 6106, A bill to direct the Secretary of Education to establish a clearinghouse of information on best practices for ocean lifeguard training programs; to the Committee on Education and Labor.

Senate Bills

 * S. 3717, A bill to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Company Act of 1940, and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to provide for certain disclosures under section 552 of title 5, United States Code, (commonly referred to as the Freedom of Information Act), and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
 * S. 3730, A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to publish in the Federal Register a list of States that have not submitted certain information required under chapter 69 of title 31, United States Code; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
 * S. 3696, A bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act with regard to certain exemptions under that Act for direct care workers and to improve the systems for the collection and reporting of data relating to the direct care workforce, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

= July 2010 =

House Bills and Resolutions

 * H.Res. 1542, A resolution amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to require that Members’ official websites include congressional earmark requests and video presentations for requests submitted to committees; to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.
 * H.Res. 1579, A resolution establishing an earmark moratorium for fiscal year 2011.
 * H. Res. 1502, A resolution amending the Rules of the House of Representatives respecting the treatment of earmarks in conferences between the House and the Senate; to the Committee on Rules.
 * H.R. 3628, A bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit foreign influence in Federal elections, to prohibit government contractors from making expenditures with respect to such elections, and to establish additional disclosure requirements with respect to spending in such elections, and for other purposes.


 * H.R. 5982, A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the expansion of certain information reporting requirements to corporations and to payments for property, to eliminate loopholes which encourage companies to move operations offshore, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, 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.
 * H.R. 5997, A bill to amend the Rules of the House of Representatives and the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require that public hearings be held on all earmark requests in the district of the Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner making the request, and to further increase earmark transparency and accountability; to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, 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.
 * H.R. 6015, A bill to require the Director of the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the Department of Commerce to publish certain economic data regarding territories and Freely Associated States, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 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.
 * H.R. 6019, A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to extend the post-employment restrictions on certain executive and legislative branch officers and employees, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on House Administration, and Rules, 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.
 * H.R. 6026, A bill to require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to establish and maintain a single website accessible to the public that allows the public to obtain electronic copies of congressionally mandated reports; to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
 * H.R. 6038, A bill to amend the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to increase financial industry transparency, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 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.
 * H.R. 6052, A bill to require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to establish and maintain a website to track the expenditure of Government funds; to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
 * H.R. 6061, A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to reform the system of public financing for Presidential elections, and for other purposes; to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, 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.
 * H.R. 5891, A bill to direct the Bureau of the Census to publish improved annual measures of family income for use in more accurately determining the extent of poverty in the United States and the anti-poverty effectiveness of means-tested benefit and tax programs, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 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.
 * H.R. 5957, A bill to require that any local currencies used to provide per diems to Members and employees of Congress for official foreign travel for a fiscal year be obtained by Congress and paid for using funds appropriated for salaries and expenses of Congress for the fiscal year, to enhance the disclosure of information on official foreign travel of Members, officers, and employees of the House of Representatives, and for other purposes; to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, 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.
 * H.R. 5775, A bill to require the establishment of a commission on earmark reform, to consolidate and streamline the grants management structure of the Federal Government, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, and Rules, 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.
 * H.R. 5777, A bill to foster transparency about the commercial use of personal information, provide consumers with meaningful choice about the collection, use, and disclosure of such information, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
 * H.R. 5751, A bill to amend the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require registrants to pay an annual fee of $50, to impose a penalty of $500 for failure to file timely reports required by that Act, to provide for the use of the funds from such fees and penalties for reviewing and auditing filings by registrants, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
 * H.R. 5752, A bill to make the Federal budget process more transparent and to make future budgets more sustainable; to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, and Ways and Means, 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.
 * H.R. 5696, A bill to amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to provide electric consumers the right to access certain electric energy information; to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
 * H.R. 5681, A bill to improve certain administrative operations of the Library of Congress, and for other purposes; to the Committee on House Administration.

Senate Bills and Resolutions (including joint resolutions)

 * S.J.Res. 36, A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to authorizing regulation of contributions to candidates for State public office and Federal office by corporations and labor organizations, and expenditures by corporate entities and labor organizations in support of, or opposition to such candidates; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
 * S. 3681, A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to reform the system of public financing for Presidential elections, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
 * S. 3652, A bill to provide for comprehensive budget reform in order to increase transparency and reduce the deficit.

= June 2010 =

House Bills

 * H.R. 5609, A bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit any registered lobbyist whose clients include foreign governments which are found to be sponsors of international terrorism or include other foreign nationals from making contributions and other campaign-related disbursements in elections for public office; to the Committee on House Administration.
 * H.R. 5640, A bill to establish a National Rape Kit Database; to the Committee on the Judiciary.


 * H.R. 5539, A bill to apply the Freedom of Information Act to the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation during any period that such entities are in conservatorship or receivership; to the Committee on Financial Services.


 * H.R. 5533, A bill to strengthen the partnership between nonprofit organizations and the Federal Government, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, and Science and Technology, 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.


 * H.R. 5514, A bill to require State governments to submit fiscal accounting reports as a condition to the receipt of Federal financial assistance, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.


 * H.R. 5488, A bill to require each authorized public chartering agency to publish on the Internet the financial expenditures of each charter school that is authorized or approved by such agency and receives Department of Education funding; to the Committee on Education and Labor.

Senate Bills

 * S. 3530, A bill to amend the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to provide for prize competitions to stimulate innovations that advance the missions of Federal agencies, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
 * S. 3487, A bill to amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to provide electric consumers the right to access certain electric energy information, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
 * S. 3475, A bill to provide tighter control over and additional public disclosure of earmarks; to the Committee on Rules and Administration.

= May 2010 =

House Bills and Resolutions (including joint resolutions)

 * H.J. Res. 84, A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States giving Congress power to regulate campaign contributions for Federal elections; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
 * H.Res. 1360, A resolution amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to guarantee reasonable time prior to the consideration of legislation; to the Committee on Rules.
 * H. Res. 1386, A resolution amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to prohibit Members from negotiating for a job involving lobbying activities; to the Committee on Rules.
 * H.R. 5410, A bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit corporations which are subject to certain criminal or civil sanctions from engaging in campaign-related activity under such Act, and for other purposes; to the Committee on House Administration.
 * H.R. 5381, A bill to require motor vehicle safety standards relating to vehicle electronics and to reauthorize and provide greater transparency, accountability, and safety authority to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
 * H.R. 5319, A bill to increase transparency regarding debt instruments of the United States held by foreign governments, to assess the risks to the United States of such holdings, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Ways and Means.
 * H.R. 5258, A bill to amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require Congress to establish a unified and searchable database on a public website for congressional earmarks; to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, 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.
 * H.R. 5264, A bill to authorize appropriations for the Department of Justice for fiscal year 2011; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
 * H.R. 5229, A bill to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to establish standards for the transparent and accurate tabulation of votes and aggregation of vote counts in elections for Federal office, and for other purposes; to the Committee on House Administration.
 * H.R. 5247, A bill to establish a National Cyberspace Office, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Intelligence (Permanent Select), 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.
 * H.R. 5253, A bill to provide for Federal agencies to develop public access policies relating to research conducted by employees of that agency or from funds administered by that agency; to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Senate Bills

 * S. 3450, A bill to require publicly traded coal companies to include certain safety records in their reports to the Commission, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
 * S. 3426, A bill to amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to require monthly reporting to the Secretary of Agriculture of items contained in the cold storage survey and the dairy products survey of the National Agricultural Statistics Service; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
 * S. 3384, A bill to direct the General Accountability Office to conduct a full audit of hurricane protection funding and cost estimates associated with post-Katrina hurricane protection; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
 * S. 3335, A bill to require Congress to establish a unified and searchable database on a public website for congressional earmarks as called for by the President in his 2010 State of the Union Address to Congress; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
 * S. 3321, A bill to establish an advisory committee to issue nonbinding governmentwide guidelines on making public information available on the Internet, to require publicly available Government information held by the executive branch to be made available on the Internet, to express the sense of Congress that publicly available information held by the legislative and judicial branches should be available on the Internet, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
 * S. 3323, A bill to improve the management and oversight of Federal contracts, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

= April 2010 =

House Bills and Resolutions

 * H. Res. 1289, A resolution expressing the sense of the House that Democratic Members of the House should join Republican Members of the House in a total ban on earmarks for one year, that total discretionary spending should be reduced by the amount saved by earmark moratoriums, and that a bipartisan, bicameral committee should be created to review and overhaul the budgetary, spending, and earmark processes.
 * H.R. 5175, A bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit foreign influence in Federal elections, to prohibit government contractors from making expenditures with respect to such elections, and to establish additional disclosure requirements with respect to spending in such elections, and for other purposes; to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 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.
 * H.R. 5140, A bill to require the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to conduct a study and to prepare a comprehensive national economic competitiveness and innovation strategy; to the Committee on Science and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, the Judiciary, Education and Labor, and Ways and Means, 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.
 * H.R. 5141, A bill to repeal the expansion of information reporting requirements for payments of $600 or more to corporations, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Ways and Means.
 * H.R. 5108, A bill to require certain Internet websites that contain personal information of individuals to remove such information at the request of such individuals.
 * H.R. 5127,A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to establish a reporting requirement for any stored value device carried out of, into, or through the United States, to establish registration requirements for stored value programs, and for other purposes.

Senate Bills

 * S. 3295, A bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit foreign influence in Federal elections, to prohibit government contractors from making expenditures with respect to such elections, and to establish additional disclosure requirements with respect to spending in such elections, and for other purposes.
 * S. 3244, A bill to provide that Members of Congress shall not receive a cost of living adjustment in pay during fiscal year 2011.

= March 2010 =

House Bills and Resolutions

 * H.R. 4720, A bill to provide for a 5 percent reduction in the rates of basic pay for Members of Congress.
 * H.R. 4724. A bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit the conversion of leadership PAC funds to personal use.
 * H.R. 4729. A bill to clarify the situations in which a corporation may be treated as a person under Federal law.
 * H.R. 4739. A bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to reduce the limit on the amount of certain contributions which may be made to a candidate with respect to an election for Federal office.
 * H.R. 4761. A bill to reduce the pay of Members of Congress and eliminate automatic adjustments to such pay, to establish a limit on the aggregate amount which may be appropriated for the Members' Representational Allowances of Members of the House of Representatives, and for other purposes.
 * H.R. 4775. A bill to provide for the application of sections 552, 552a, and 552b of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to as the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act), and the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) to the Smithsonian Institution, and for other purposes.
 * H.R. 4831. A bill to amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to set a cap on allocated funds for earmarks.
 * H.R. 4858. Public Online Information Act of 2010.
 * H.R. 4900. Federal Information Security Amendments Act of 2010.
 * H.R. 4918. A bill to require States to carry out Congressional redistricting in accordance with a process under which members of the public are informed of redistricting proposals and have the opportunity to participate in the development of such proposals prior to their adoption, and for other purposes.
 * H.R. 4921. A bill to establish procedures for the expedited consideration by Congress of certain proposals by the President to rescind amounts of budget authority.
 * H.R. 4946. A bill to protect 10th Amendment rights by providing special standing for State government officials to challenge proposed regulations, and for other purposes.
 * H.R. 4983. Transparency in Government Act of 2010.
 * H. RES. 1135. Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to require that Members take the same annual ethics training as senior staff.
 * H.RES.1147. Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to require a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner to hold an explanatory public meeting prior to the submission of congressional earmark requests.
 * H.RES.1164. Raising a question of the privileges of the House.
 * H.RES.1166. Directing the Clerk of the House of Representatives to establish and implement a process under which members of the public may view the proceedings of the House and the committees of the House online.
 * H.RES.1176. Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to ban congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, and limited tariff benefits.
 * H.RES.1190. Providing for consideration of motions to suspend the rules.
 * H.RES.1193. Raising a question of the privileges of the House.
 * H.RES.1221. Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to increase openness and transparency in the annual appropriations process as it relates to earmarks.
 * H. J. RES. 78. Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Senate Bills and Resolutions

 * S. 3071. A bill to provide for a freeze on the pay of Members of Congress and appropriations for certain congressional offices until there are sufficient improvements in the national unemployment rate, and for other purposes.
 * S. 3101. A bill to reduce barriers to entry in Federal contracting, and for other purposes.
 * S. 3111. A bill to establish the Commission on Freedom of Information Act Processing Delays.
 * S. 3167. Census Oversight Efficiency and Management Reform Act of 2010.
 * S.RES.440. A resolution improving the Senate cloture process.
 * S.RES.465. A resolution to permit the Senate to avoid unnecessary delay and vote on matters for which floor debate has ceased.

= February 2010 =

House Bills

 * H.R. 4560. A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to increase transparency and accountability for earmarks, and for other purposes.
 * H.R. 4583. A bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require certain campaign-related communications which are paid for by certain tax-exempt organizations or political organizations to include a statement naming their five largest donors, and for other purposes.
 * H.R. 4617. A bill to amend the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 to require institutions to segregate funds received under the Troubled Asset Relief Program and to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit the use of any such funds for expenditures or electioneering communications under such Act.
 * H.R. 4625. A bill to establish a commission to conduct a study and make recommendations concerning ways to improve the civil service and organization of the Federal Government.
 * H.R.4631. A bill to amend section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, to require that annual budget submissions of the President to Congress provide certain information regarding companies in which the Government holds stock, and for other purposes.
 * H.R. 4644. A bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit a corporation from making any independent expenditure or disbursing funds for any electioneering communication without obtaining the prior approval of a majority of its shareholders, and for other purposes.
 * H.J.RES.74. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States permitting Congress and the States to regulate the expenditure of funds by corporations engaging in political speech.
 * H.RES.1051. Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4061) to advance cybersecurity research, development, and technical standards, and for other purposes.
 * H.RES.1071. Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to require a three-fifths vote on a stand-alone bill to increase the statutory limit on the public debt.
 * H.RES.1101. Establishing an earmark moratorium for fiscal year 2011.

Senate Bills

 * S.2990. A bill to establish an earmark moratorium for fiscal years 2010 and 2011.
 * S. 2991. A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to enhance the oversight authorities of the Comptroller General, and for other purposes.
 * S.3026. Fiscal Freeze Act of 2010.
 * S.J.RES.28. A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to contributions and expenditures intended to affect elections.
 * S.RES.416. A resolution amending the Standing Rules of the Senate to provide for cloture to be invoked with less than a three-fifths majority after additional debate.

= January 2010 =

House Bills and Resolutions

 * H.R. 4423. To prevent Members of Congress from receiving any automatic pay adjustment in 2011.
 * H.R.4433. To make the antitrust laws applicable to a political committee under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 which is established and administered by a separate segregated fund of a corporation pursuant to section 316(b)(2)(C) of such Act.
 * H.R. 4434. To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to extend the ban on the making of contributions by certain government contractors to other for-profit recipients of Federal funds, to limit the amount of contributions the employees of for-profit recipients of Federal funds may make during any calendar year in which such funds are provided, and for other purposes.
 * H.R. 4449. To direct the Election Assistance Commission to make payments to reimburse States for costs incurred in establishing online voter registration programs, and for other purposes.
 * H.R. 4479. To enforce discretionary spending limits to rein in spending, reduce the deficit, and regain control of the Federal budget process.
 * H.R.4481. Deficit Reduction Act of 2009.
 * H.R. 4498. To permit voters to vote for `None of the Above' in elections for Federal office and to require an additional election if `None of the Above' receives the most votes.
 * H.R. 4499. To provide that the voters of the United States be given the right, through advisory voter initiative, to propose the enactment and repeal of Federal laws in a national election.
 * H.R. 4510. To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to apply the ban on contributions and expenditures by foreign nationals to domestic corporations in which foreign principals have an ownership interest.
 * H.R.4529. Roadmap for America's Future Act of 2010.
 * H. R. 4531. To amend title 5, United States Code, to deny Federal retirement benefits to an individual convicted of a felony which occurred in connection with such individual's Government employment or service, and for other purposes.
 * H. R. 4511. To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit corporations which employ or retain registered lobbyists from making expenditures or disbursements for electioneering communications under such Act, and for other purposes.
 * H.R. 4517. To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to apply the ban on contributions and expenditures by foreign nationals to domestic corporations which are owned or controlled by foreign principals, to increase the civil penalties applicable to foreign nationals who violate the ban, and for other purposes.
 * H.R. 4522. To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to apply the ban on contributions and expenditures by foreign nationals to domestic corporations which are owned or controlled by foreign principals.
 * H.R. 4523. To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to apply the ban on contributions and expenditures by foreign nationals to domestic corporations whose shareholders include any foreign principals.
 * H.R. 4540. To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to extend the ban on election activity by foreign nationals to election activity by domestic corporations which are subsidiaries of foreign principals.
 * H.R. 4550. To prohibit entities from using Federal funds to contribute to political campaigns or participate in lobbying activities.
 * H.J.RES.67. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to limit the number of consecutive terms that a Member of Congress may serve.
 * H.J.RES.68. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States prohibiting corporations and labor organizations from using operating funds for advertisements in connection with any campaign for election for Federal office.
 * H.J.RES.69. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to give citizens of the United States the right to enact and repeal laws by voting on legislation in a national election.
 * H.J.RES.70. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to give citizens of the United States the right to propose amendments to the Constitution by an initiative process.
 * H.J.RES.71. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to give citizens of the United States the right to recall elected officials.
 * H.J.RES.73. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to balance the Federal budget.
 * H.RES.1006. Reaffirming the commitment of the House of Representatives to safeguard and uphold the 10th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
 * H.RES.1018. Requesting the Senate to adjust its rules to reflect the intent of the framers of the Constitution by amending the Senate's filibuster rule, Rule 22, to facilitate the consideration of bills and amendments.
 * H.RES.1023. Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to remove the authority of the Committee on Rules to waive clause 5 of rule XVI or clause 9 of rule XXII.

Senate Bills and Resolutions

 * S. 2954. To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to apply the ban on contributions and expenditures by foreign nationals to domestic corporations which are owned or controlled by foreign principals.
 * S. 2959. To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to protect Federal, State, and local elections from the influence of foreign nationals.
 * S.2965. Commission for Fiscal Sustainability Act of 2010.
 * S.RES.396. A resolution to enable each newly constituted Senate to carry out its responsibility to determine the Rules of its Proceedings at the beginning of each Congress.

= December 2009 =

House Bills and Resolutions

 * H.R.4173. Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
 * H.R.424. Commission On Reforming Entitlement Spending Act.
 * H.R.4255. Stop the Automatic Pay Raise for Members of Congress in Fiscal Year 2011 Act.
 * H.R.4283. Transparency and Integrity in Corporate Monitoring Act of 2009.
 * H.R.4364. Citizen Participation Act of 2009.
 * H.J.RES.63. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to limit the number of years Representatives and Senators may serve.
 * H.J.RES.65. Disapproving the rule submitted by the Federal Election Commission with respect to travel on private aircraft for Federal candidates.
 * H.RES.964. Providing for further consideration of the bill (H.R. 4173) to provide for financial regulatory reform, to protect consumers and investors, to enhance Federal understanding of insurance issues, to regulate the over-the-counter derivatives markets, and for other purposes.

= November 2009 =

House Bills and Resolutions

 * H.R.3995. Financial Crisis of 2008 Criminal Investigation and Prosecution Act of 2009.
 * H. R. 4033. To require the Election Assistance Commission to establish an American Democracy Index to measure and improve the quality of voter access to polls and voter services in Federal elections.
 * H.R.4098. Secure Federal File Sharing Act.
 * H.R. 4134. To require companies submitting offers to the Government for Federal contracts to include subcontracting agreements with the offers, and for other purposes.
 * H.RES.883. Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Members of the House receive the necessary cost information regarding health care reform legislation at least 72 hours before any vote on such legislation.

Senate Bills and Resolutions

 * S.J.RES.21. A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to limiting the number of terms that a Member of Congress may serve to 3 in the House of Representatives and 2 in the Senate.
 * S.RES.339. A resolution to express the sense of the Senate in support of permitting the televising of Supreme Court proceedings.

= October 2009 =

House Bills and Resolutions

 * H.R. 3745. To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide for carriage and display of public, educational, and government channels in a manner consistent with commercial channels, and for other purposes.
 * H.R. 3762. To provide members of the public with Internet access to certain Congressional Research Service publications, and for other purposes.
 * H.R.3765. Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2009.
 * H.R. 3797. To prevent congressional reapportionment distortions by requiring that, in the questionnaires used in the taking of any decennial census of population, a checkbox or other similar option be included for respondents to indicate citizenship status or lawful presence in the United States.
 * H.R. 3835. To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to strengthen protections against the wrongful removal of individuals from the official list of eligible voters and the wrongful denial of applications for voter registration, and for other purposes.
 * H.R. 3859. To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit contributions and expenditures by multicandidate political committees controlled by foreign-owned corporations, and for other purposes.
 * H.R.3890. To amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to enhance oversight of nationally recognized statistical rating organizations, and for other purposes.
 * H.R.3965. To require full and complete public disclosure of the terms of home mortgages held by Members of Congress.
 * H.R. 3972. To establish a commission to make recommendations on the appropriate size of membership of the House of Representatives and the method by which Members are elected.
 * H.CON.RES.193. Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need to pass meaningful legislation to protect commercial and government data from data breaches.
 * H.CON.RES.201. To establish the Joint Select Committee on Earmark Reform, and for other purposes.
 * H.RES.819. Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to provide for division of the question on the legislative proposals involved to allow separate votes on disparate matters.
 * H.RES.835. Amending the rules of the House of Representatives to provide for transparency in the committee amendment process.
 * H.RES.847. Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that any conference committee or other meetings held to determine the content of national health care legislation be conducted in public under the watchful eye of the people of the United States.
 * H.RES.874. Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to require all committees post record votes on their Web sites within 48 hours of such votes.

Senate Bills and Resolutions

 * S.1843. Strengthening Enforcement for Health Care Fraud Crimes Act of 2009.
 * S.1860. A bill to permit each current member of the Board of Directors of the Office of Compliance to serve for 3 terms.
 * S. 1959. To improve health care fraud enforcement.
 * S.RES.307. A resolution to require that all legislative matters be available and fully scored by CBO 72 hours before consideration by any subcommittee or committee of the Senate or on the floor of the Senate.

= September 2009 =

House Bills and Resolutions

 * H.R. 3569. To provide a sunset date for all presidentially appointed czars, to require Senate confirmation of those positions, and to provide that appropriated funds may not be used to pay for any salaries and expenses associated with those positions.
 * H.R. 3574. To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to provide for limitations on expenditures in elections for the House of Representatives.
 * H.R. 3582. To make organizations which have been indicted for violations of Federal or State law relating to elections for public office ineligible to participate in the Planning Partnership Program for the 2010 census of population, and for other purposes.
 * H.R. 3613. To amend the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to modify financial disclosure filing requirements for certain employees of the Executive Office of the President.
 * H.CON.RES.185. Expressing the sense of Congress that the President should issue, and Congress should hold hearings on, a report and a certification regarding the responsibilities, authorities, and powers of his "czars".
 * H.RES.721. Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that any major health care reform bill considered on the floor of the House should be available for viewing for 30 calendar days.
 * H.RES.772. Providing for consideration of the conference report to accompany the bill (H.R. 2918) making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.

Senate Bills and Resolutions

 * S. 1681. To ensure that health insurance issuers and medical malpractice insurance issuers cannot engage in price fixing, bid rigging, or market allocations to the detriment of competition and consumers.
 * S. 1727. To amend title 28, United States Code, to provide for the appointment of additional Federal circuit judges, to divide the Ninth Judicial Circuit of the United States into 2 circuits, and for other purposes.

= August 2009 =

House Bills and Resolutions

 * None

Senate Bills and Resolutions

 * S. 1588. To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide the same tax treatment for both commercial and noncommercial investors in oil and natural gas and related commodities, and for other purposes.
 * S.1597. Internet Poker and Game of Skill Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act of 2009.
 * S.1644. A bill to amend the Trade Act of 1974 to require a Public Health Advisory Committee on Trade to be included in the trade advisory committee system, to require public health organizations to be included on the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations and other relevant sectoral or functional advisory committees, and for other purposes.

= July 2009 =

House Bills and Resolutions

 * H.R. 3226. To provide that appropriated funds may not be used to pay for any salaries or expenses of any task force, council, or similar office which is established by or at the direction of the President and headed by an individual who has been inappropriately appointed to such position (on other than an interim basis), without the advice and consent of the Senate.
 * H.R. 3268. Earmark Transparency and Accountability Reform Act.
 * H.R. 3332. To establish the National Commission on Intergovernmental Relations to facilitate the fullest cooperation and coordination between all levels of government.
 * H.R. 3362. Checks and Balances Restoration and Revitalization Act.
 * H.R. 3393. Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010 - Amends the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 to expand requirements for identifying programs and activities susceptible to improper payments by requiring the head of each federal agency, during the year after the enactment of this Act and at least once every three fiscal years thereafter, to review and identify agency programs and activities that may be susceptible to significant improper payments.
 * H.R. 3396. To amend title 5, United States Code, to prohibit agencies from enforcing rules that result in a specified economic impact until the requirements of those rules are enacted into law by an Act of Congress, and for other purposes.
 * H.R. 3436. To require chief executive officers of certain financial institutions that receive assistance under title I of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, under the 3d undesignated paragraph of section 13 of the Federal Reserve Act, or from the Secretary of the Treasury or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation under any other provision of law to submit financial disclosures under the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to the Secretary of the Treasury, and for other purposes.
 * H.RES.614. Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to prohibit earmarks to for-profit entities.
 * H.RES.687. Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to provide greater transparency on earmark requests.
 * H.RES.689. Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to ensure that Members, Delegates, and the Resident Commissioner have a reasonable amount of time to read legislation that will be voted upon, and for other purposes.
 * H.RES.694. Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to require a two-thirds vote on a rule or order that dispenses with the first reading or considers a measure as read.

Senate Bills and Resolutions

 * None.

= June 2009 =

House Bills and Resolutions

 * H.R.2646. Government Accountability Office Improvement Act of 2010.
 * (Sec. 2) Authorizes the Comptroller General to: (1) obtain federal agency records required to discharge his or her duties, including through bringing civil actions under this Act; and (2) make and retain copies of agency records and interview federal agency officers and employees.
 * (Sec. 3) Requires the Comptroller General's express consent for other Government Accountability Office (GAO) employees to administer oaths to witnesses in matters other than auditing and settling accounts.
 * (Sec. 4) Requires agency statements on actions taken or planned in response to Comptroller General recommendations to be submitted to the congressional committees with jurisdiction over the pertinent agency program or activity and to GAO.
 * (Sec. 5) Authorizes the Comptroller General, for five years following enactment of this Act, to conduct reviews, including on-site examinations, of credit facilities established by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any federal reserve bank, and of the establishment of such facilities, in: (1) carrying out any action or function approved by the Board under provisions authorizing a federal reserve bank to discount for any individual, partnership, or corporation, notes, drafts, and bills of exchange when they are endorsed or otherwise secured to the satisfaction of the bank; or (2) in providing temporary assistance to private institutions as the lender of last resort. Lists as credit facilities to which this section applies: (1) the Money Market Investor Funding Facility; (2) the Asset-Backed Commercial Paper Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility; (3) the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility; (4) the Term Auction Facility; (5) the Primary Dealer Credit Facility; (6) the Commercial Paper Funding Facility; (7) the Term Securities Lending Facility, including the Term Securities Lending Facility Options Program; (8) the Revolving Credit Facility; (9) reciprocal currency arrangements with foreign central banks; (10) the Mortgage Backed Securities Purchase Program, as well as the purchase of debt obligations from a government sponsored enterprise; and (11) any special purpose vehicle through which any such credit facility conducts any activity or lending. Requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress within 90 days of each review's completion.
 * Provides for access by the Comptroller General to all records and property used by any such credit facility established by an agency. Directs the Comptroller General to prevent unauthorized access to records or property of or used by any such credit facility.
 * H.R.2682. Freedom from Government Competition Act of 2009.
 * Requires each executive or military department or independent establishment to obtain all goods and services necessary for or beneficial to the accomplishment of its authorized functions by procurement from private sources, except if: (1) such goods or services are required by law to be produced or performed by such agency; or (2) the head of the agency determines and certifies that federal production or performance is necessary for the national defense or homeland security, that a good or service is so inherently governmental in nature that it is in the public interest to require production or performance by government employees, or that there is no private source capable of providing the good or service.
 * Requires such private sector provision of goods and services to be performed through: (1) the divestiture of federal involvement; (2) the award of a contract using competitive procedures; (3) converting an activity to performance by a qualified firm under at least 51% ownership by an Indian tribe or a Native Hawaiian Organization; or (4) conducting a public-private competitive sourcing analysis in accordance with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) procedures and determining that using the private sector is in the best interest of the United States and provides the best value to the taxpayer.
 * Authorizes an agency head to utilize federal employees to provide goods or services previously provided by a private sector entity upon completion of a public-private competitive sourcing analysis and after determining that provision by federal employees provides the best value.
 * Requires the Director to carry out a study, in conjunction with the Comptroller General, to evaluate the activities carried out in each agency.
 * H.R.2767. Investing in Tomorrow's Technology Act.
 * Amends the Small Business Act to extend through FY2011 the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program.
 * Provides that, with respect to participation in an SBIR or STTR program: (1) a business that has more than 500 employees shall not qualify as a small business; and (2) in determining whether a small business is independently owned and operated, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) shall not consider the business as affiliated with a venture capital operating company if such company does not own 50% or more of the business and the company's employees do not constitute a majority of the business's board of directors.
 * Provides limited conditions under which a small business shall still be considered eligible for SBIR/STTR participation when a venture capital operating company controlled by a business with more than 500 employees has an ownership interest in a small business owned in majority part by venture capital operating companies.
 * H.R.2894. Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2009. Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) to revise requirements for the audit capacity of voting systems, particularly those for a permanent paper record.
 * H.R.2918. Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2010.
 * H.R.3025. Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act of 2009.
 * Prohibits a state that has been redistricted after an apportionment from being redistricted again until after the next apportionment of Representatives, unless the state is ordered by a court to conduct such a subsequent redistricting in order to: (1) comply with the U.S. Constitution; or (2) enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
 * Requires such redistricting to be conducted through a plan developed by the independent redistricting commission established in the state, or if such plan is not enacted into law, the redistricting plan selected by the state's highest court or developed by a U.S. district court.
 * Prescribes requirements for: (1) establishment of a state independent redistricting commission (including provisions for holding each of its meetings in public and maintaining a public Internet site); (2) development of a redistricting plan (including soliciting and considering public comments) and its submission to the state legislature (with public notice of plans at least seven days prior to such submission); (3) selection of a plan, under specified conditions, by the state's highest court or the U.S. district court for the district in which the capital of the state is located; (4) special rules for redistricting conducted under a federal court order; and (5) Election Assistance Commission payments to states for carrying out redistricting.
 * H.RES.554. Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to require that legislation and conference reports be available on the Internet for 72 hours before consideration by the House, and for other purposes.
 * H.RES.559. Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2918) making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.
 * H.RES.597. Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to require the Committee on Rules to conduct its meetings and hearings in the Hall of the House, and for other purposes.

Senate Bills and Resolutions

 * S.1294. Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2010.

= May 2009 =

House Bills and Resolutions

 * H.R. 2256. Preserving the American Historical Record Act - Requires the Archivist of the United States to make grants to states to: (1) protect historical records; (2) use such records in new and creative ways; (3) provide education and training to those who care for historical records; and (4) create a wide variety of access tools, including finding aids, documentary editions, indexes, and images of key records maintained on state and local organization websites.
 * H.R. 2259. Stop the Revolving Door in Washington Act - Amends the federal criminal code regarding the two-year ban on lobbying contacts by former Senators with any member, officer, or employee of either chamber, or employee of any other legislative office. Imposes the two-year lobbying ban on all former Members of Congress. Continues the one-year ban, as under current law, on lobbying contacts by former elected officers of the House of Representatives with any House Member, officer, or employee.
 * H.R. 2370. Voters' Right to Know Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require any person conducting a federal election phone bank (except through non-political general media facilities) to report to the Federal Election Commission specified information about phone bank costs, funding sources, household contacts, and questions asked or information provided to respondents. Limits such requirement to projects contacting at least 1,500 households during the 25 days before a federal election.
 * H.R. 2392. Government Information Transparency Act
 * Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to adopt a single data standard for: (1) collection, analysis, and dissemination of business and financial information for use by private sector entities in accordance with this Act for information required to be reported to the federal government; and (2) use by agencies for federal financial information.
 * Requires the standard to: (1) be common across all agencies; (2) be a widely accepted, open source, nonproprietary, searchable, computer-readable format for business and financial data; (3) be consistent with and implement U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for federal financial accounting standards, industry best practices, and federal regulatory requirements; (4) improve the transparency, consistency, and usability of business and financial information; and (5) be capable of being continually upgraded.
 * Requires the Director: (1) within 180 days, to issue guidance to agencies on the use and implementation of the single data standard for information required to be reported to agencies by the private sector; (2) within one year, to develop the single data standard required for use by federal agencies for federal financial information; and (3) within 18 months, to issue guidance to agencies on the use and implementation of the single data standard.
 * Directs each agency head to ensure that information collected using the single data standard is accessible to the general public.
 * Requires the Director, within one year, to submit to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs a report on the status of the implementation of this Act.
 * H.R. 2512. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to make it out of order in the House of Representatives or the Senate to consider any legislation, if that measure or any accompanying report or joint explanatory statement of managers contains any earmark for which the intended recipient is a private, for-profit entity.
 * H.R. 2247. Congressional Review Act Improvement Act - Eliminates a requirement that federal agencies must submit specified information about a rule to both Houses of Congress before such rule can take effect (thus requiring that the information be submitted to only the Comptroller General). Requires the Comptroller General to submit to each House a weekly report containing a list of the rules received, including a notation identifying each major rule. Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives to publish such report in the Congressional Record.
 * H.R. 2255. Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act of 2009 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require reports on federal mandates to include: (1) an assessment of the prospective costs of carrying out changes to a condition of federal assistance being imposed on participating state, local, or tribal governments and how these costs compare with the funds being authorized; (2) for reauthorizations, an assessment of the additional costs of changes in those conditions compared with the changes in funding being authorized; (3) in cases where a bill or joint resolution provides necessary sums, an estimate of that amount; and (4) an identification and description of any reasonably foreseeable indirect costs to such governments or the private sector from implementing the federal mandate. Repeals a provision excluding independent regulatory agencies from reporting requirements.
 * H.R. 2568. Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act of 2009 - Amends the Small Business Act to exclude as a small business, for purposes of meeting federal agency contracting goals with small businesses, any small business (or subsidiary thereof) that is publicly traded, or any business (or subsidiary thereof) with more than 50% non-U.S. citizen ownership. Requires the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to notify the head of each federal department or agency regarding this Act and its amendments, and the department or agency head to then notify its contractors. Directs the Administrator to: (1) publish a report regarding federal prime contracts awarded to businesses identified as small businesses for purposes of achieving small business contracting goals; and (2) establish procedures to ensure that the Central Contractor Registration database provides an adequate warning regarding criminal penalties for misrepresenting the status of a small business or person in order to obtain federal contracts.
 * H.R. 2572. Congressional Disclosures Protections Act of 2009 - Amends federal personnel law to: (1) define "covered disclosure" with respect to federal whistleblower protections to mean a disclosure of information made by an employee to either house of Congress or to a congressional committee or staff member which such employee reasonably believes evidences a violation of any law, gross mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety; (2) allow federal employees to seek de novo review of their whistleblower claims within one year of filing such claims; (3) expand legal remedies for whistleblowers, including triple damages for lost wages, triple attorney fees, and triple compensatory damages; and (4) require the Office of Special Counsel to provide legal representation to whistleblowers, upon request. Amends the Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (No Fear Act) to expand the reporting requirements of federal agencies relating to reimbursement of the expenses of employees who have filed whistleblower claims.
 * H.J.RES.49. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States concerning the election of the Members of the House of Representatives.
 * H.J.RES.52. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to temporarily fill mass vacancies in the House of Representatives and the Senate and to preserve the right of the people to elect their Representatives and Senators in Congress.
 * H.J.RES.53. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to Congressional succession.
 * H.RES.440. Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to strengthen the public disclosure of all earmark requests.
 * H.RES.470. Requires establishment of a Select Subcommittee of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to review and verify the accuracy of specified public statements of the Honorable Nancy Pelosi regarding what she and other congressional leaders were told by Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officials about CIA use of enhanced interrogation techniques on suspected terrorists.

Senate Bills and Resolutions

 * None.

= April 2009 =

House Bills and Resolutions

 * H.R. 1910. Chief Technology Officer Act of 2009 - Establishes in the Executive Office of the President an Office of the Federal Chief Technology Officer (FCTO).
 * H.R. 1911. Transparency and Accountability in State and Local Contracting Act - Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to: (1) require (current law authorizes) federal agencies receiving funds under the Act to adjust applicable limits on administrative expenditures for federal awards to help award recipients defray the costs of data collection requirements initiated pursuant to the Act; and (2) authorize such agencies to set aside up to 0.5% of covered funds directed to such agencies to conduct comprehensive, agency-wide oversight and administration of projects under the Act.
 * H.R. 2020. Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act of 2009 - Amends the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991.
 * H.R. 2038. Clean Law for Earmark Accountability Reform Act or the CLEAR Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit an authorized committee of a candidate who is a Member of Congress from accepting contributions from any entity for which the candidate sought a congressional earmark, or from any senior executive of such an entity, or any lobbyist for whom the entity was a client. Prohibits the acceptance of any contribution from a separate segregated fund established and administered by a corporation or labor organization if the Member sought a congressional earmark for the corporation.
 * H.R. 2056. Clean Money, Clean Elections Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) with respect to: (1) eligibility and qualifying contribution requirements, seed money limits, and benefits of clean election financing of House election campaigns; (2) establishment of a House Clean Elections Fund; (3) eligibility for Fund allocations as well as such allocations; (4) a seed money contribution requirement; (5) contribution and expenditure requirements; (6) certification of whether or not a federal election candidate is a clean money candidate; (7) benefits for participating candidates; (8) payment of fair fight funds; (9) administration of the House Clean Elections System; (10) reporting requirements for nonparticipating candidates; (11) modification of electioneering communication reporting requirements; (12) limitation on coordinated expenditures by political party committees with participating candidates; and (13) treatment of coordinated expenditures as contributions.
 * H.R. 2116. Fiscal Honesty and Accountability Act of 2009 - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to extend Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) requirements through FY2014 and enforcement mechanisms through FY2018.
 * H.R. 2128. Financial Disclosure Integrity Act - Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to require the annual financial disclosure reports of certain federal officers and employees to include mortgages secured by real properties which are the personal residences of the reporting individuals or their spouses. Requires the reporting of any liability consisting of such a mortgage to include applicable interest rate payments during the preceding calendar year and the number of years (or portions) remaining on the mortgage. Requires in the financial report a brief description, the date, and category of value of any purchase, sale, or exchange of such a property during a preceding calendar year.
 * H.R.2142. GPRA Modernization Act of 2010.
 * H.R.2171. Preserving the American Historical Record Act. Preserving the American Historical Record Act - Authorizes the Archivist of the United States to make grants to states to: (1) protect historical records; (2) use such records in new and creative ways; (3) provide education and training to those who care for historical records; and (4) create a wide variety of access tools, including finding aids, documentary editions, indexes, and images of key records maintained on state and local organization websites. Requires the Archivist to consult with state and local officials on criteria for making the grants.
 * H.R.2177. Transparency and Accountability in Security Contracting Act of 2009. Transparency and Accountability in Security Contracting Act of 2009 - Requires each contract, subcontract, or task order awarded or issued by a federal agency that includes private security functions (covered contract) to require the contractor to provide to the agency contracting officer specified information, including the number of persons to perform the security functions and the hiring and training process for such persons. Requires agency oversight in the performance of the covered contract. Requires the Secretary of Defense to establish and maintain a comprehensive security contracting database.
 * H.R.2182. Enhanced Oversight of State and Local Economic Recovery Act. Enhanced Oversight of State and Local Economic Recovery Act - Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to require federal agencies receiving funds under such Act, subject to guidance from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to reasonably adjust applicable limits on administrative expenditures for federal awards to help award recipients defray costs of data collection, auditing, contract and grant planning and management, and investigations of waste, fraud, and abuse required under such Act. Authorizes state and local governments receiving funds to set aside up to .5% of such funds, in addition to any funds already allocated to administrative expenditures, to conduct planning and oversight to prevent and detect waste, fraud, and abuse.
 * H.R. 2207. Interagency Cooperation Commission Act.
 * Establishes the Interagency Cooperation Commission to examine the long-term global challenges facing the United States and develop legislative and administrative proposals to improve interagency cooperation.
 * Requires the Commission to: (1) address the role and impact in facilitating or impeding interagency cooperation of a variety of budgetary, planning, and operational factors; and (2) examine interdepartmental cooperation within the Department of Defense (DOD), including the common organizational structures, reference materials, and budget processes, and examine the value of such structures as models for broader government commonality.
 * Lists as the subjects of required assessments: (1) past examples of successful and unsuccessful interagency cooperation; (2) the impact of the Goldwater-Nichols Act within DOD; (3) the effectiveness of current interagency structures and processes to engage in strategic planning and oversee and implement long-term United States policy in global affairs; (4) simulation-based assessments of global scenarios the United States may face in the long-term; and (5) the legal decision-making authority and resources needed in each department and at the highest levels of government to execute reforms proposed by the Commission.

Senate Bills and Resolutions

 * S. 806. Federal Executive Board Authorization Act of 2009 - Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish Federal Executive Boards, which are defined as interagency entities established in a geographic area with a high concentration of federal employees outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to strengthen the management and administration of agency activities and coordination among local federal officers to implement national initiatives in that area. Requires each Board for a geographic area to consist of a senior officer for each agency in that area.
 * S.920. Information Technology Investment Oversight Enhancement and Waste Prevention Act of 2009.
 * (Sec. 3) Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to ensure the effective operation and quarterly updating of a website that includes: (1) information on the accurate cost, schedule, and performance of all major information technology (IT) investments reported in a manner consistent with policy established by OMB on the use of earned-value management data; (2) a graphical depiction of trend information since the commencement of the investment; (3) a clear delineation of major IT investments that have experienced cost, schedule, or performance variance greater than 10% over their life cycle; (4) the reasons the investment deviated from the benchmark established at project commencement; and (5) the number of times and the dates investments were re-baselined.
 * (Sec. 4) Requires each Chief Information Officer of an executive department that is primarily responsible for the IT investment project under review to identify and designate as core projects the major IT investments that are most critical.
 * Requires the project manager for an IT investment project to submit to the Chief Information Officer, after each fiscal quarter or upon determining that a project has significantly or grossly deviated from its baseline, information that includes: (1) a description of the cost, schedule, and performance of such projects; (2) the current cost, schedule, and performance status of all projects previously identified as significantly or grossly deviated from the original baseline; and (3) any corrective actions taken. Requires the Chief Information Officer to: (1) determine if any project has significantly or grossly deviated; and (2) report such determination to the agency head, appropriate congressional committees, the Director, and the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
 * Requires reports and other information required under this Act to be submitted through the website in a manner consistent with guidance from OMB to satisfy reporting requirements and to reduce paperwork. Makes other specified requirements applicable to the IT investment projects of the Department of Defense (DOD).
 * Requires the agency head to: (1) develop and implement a remedial action plan; (2) report annually to OMB; and (3) establish a program to improve the IT processes overseen by the Chief Information Officer. Requires the Director to report annually to Congress on the status and implementation of the program.
 * (Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a program to improve the planning and oversight processes for the acquisition of major automated information systems by DOD, which shall include: (1) a documented process for IT acquisition planning, requirements development and management, project management and oversight, earned value management, and risk management; (2) the development of appropriate metrics that can be implemented and monitored on a real-time basis for performance measurement of processes and development status of investments in major automated information system programs, continuous process improvement of the program, and achievement of program and investment outcomes; (3) a process to ensure that key program personnel have an appropriate level of experience, training, and education in the planning, acquisition, execution, management, and oversight of IT systems; (4) a process to ensure that military departments and defense agencies adhere to established processes and requirements relating to the planning, acquisition, execution, management, and oversight of IT programs and developments; and (5) a process under which an appropriate DOD official may intervene or terminate the funding of an IT investment at risk of not achieving major project milestones.
 * Sets forth annual reporting requirements.
 * (Sec. 6) Requires the Director to: (1) assist agencies in avoiding significant and gross deviations in the cost, schedule, and performance of IT investment projects; and (2) promulgate policy and guidance for the head of each federal agency that establishes procedures for the creation of a small group of individuals to carry out that purpose, referred to as the IT SWAT Team.
 * (Sec. 7) Requires: (1) the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to develop policy and guidance for agencies to develop a program to recognize excellent performance by federal employees in the acquisition of information systems and IT; and (2) the Director of OMB to establish policies and guidance for agencies to reward employees pursuant to the program by awarding cash bonuses, promotions, and other nonmonetary awards and/or by publicizing acquisition accomplishments by individual employees.
 * S.RES.118. Directs the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate, in consultation with the the Director of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), to make publicly available through a centralized electronic system the following CRS-produced information (plus an index of such information that is available through the CRS website): (1) Issue Briefs; (2) CRS Reports that are available to Members of Congress through the CRS website; and (3) Authorization of Appropriations and Appropriations Products.

= March 2009 =

House Bills and Resolutions

 * H.R.1254. Restoring the Integrity of American Statistics Act of 2009. Reestablishes the United States Census Bureau as an independent establishment in the executive branch, effective January 1, 2012.
 * H.R.1294. Congressional Accountability and Line-Item Veto Act of 2009. Congressional Accountability and Line Item Veto Act of 2009 - Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to authorize the President to propose the repeal of any congressional earmark or the cancellation (line item veto) of any limited tariff benefit or targeted tax benefit.
 * H.R.1320. Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2010.
 * (Sec. 2) Amends the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) to require appointments to advisory committees to be made without regard to political affiliation or activity, unless otherwise required by federal statute.
 * (Sec. 3) Deems: (1) an individual who is not a full-time or permanent part-time officer or employee of the federal government to be a member of an advisory committee if the individual regularly attends and participates in committee meetings, even if the individual does not have the right to vote; and (2) an advisory committee to be established by an agency or the President if it is formed, created, or organized under contract, other transactional authority, cooperative agreement, grant, or otherwise at the request or direction of an agency or the President.
 * (Sec. 4) Requires the head of an agency to which an advisory committee reports to make available on the agency's official public Internet site: (1) the committee's charter; (2) the process used to establish and appoint committee members; (3) specified information about current members, including special government employees for whom conflict of interest certifications were made; (4) information about any recusals from any meeting or other work of the committee; (5) a summary each committee's decision-making process; (6) transcripts or recordings of committee meetings; (7) determinations to close meetings; and (8) notices of future meetings. Requires the Administrator to provide electronic access to such information on the General Services Administration's (GSA's) Internet site. Expands the information required to be disclosed about advisory committee charters.
 * (Sec. 5) Requires the Comptroller General to review and report on agency compliance with FACA.
 * (Sec. 6) Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to specify the applicability of FACA provisions to trade advisory committees.
 * H.R.1323. Reducing Information Control Designations Act.
 * Reducing Information Control Designations Act - Requires each federal agency to reduce and minimize its use of information control designations on information that is not classified. Defines such designations to mean information dissemination controls that are not defined by federal statute or executive order relating to the classification of national security information and that are used to manage, direct, or route information or to control the accessibility of information, regardless of its form or format.
 * Requires the Archivist of the United States to promulgate regulations to address: (1) standards for the use of such designations to maximize public access to information; (2) the process for removing such designations; (3) procedures for identifying and tracking designated information; (4) provisions to minimize the use of such designations, to prevent misuse, and prevent use to improperly interfere with competition in the private sector; and (5) a requirement for agencies to establish a process for individuals and the public to challenge the use of such designations and penalties for repeated failures to comply with designation policies.
 * H.R.1360. Contractor Accountability Act. Contractor Accountability Act - Requires the head of each federal agency to report to Congress annually on each covered contract or order awarded or issued by the agency during the year. Requires the report to contain: (1) a certification that the agency has exercised oversight over each contract or order sufficient to ensure that each contractor is fulfilling the obligations specified; and (2) a list of the names of each contractor found to not be fulfilling its obligations. Requires each report to be publicly available on the agency's website. Requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress on agency compliance.
 * H.R.1387. Electronic Message Preservation Act.
 * (Sec. 2) Requires the Archivist of the United States to promulgate regulations governing federal agency preservation of electronic messages that are federal records and to periodically review and amend, as necessary, such regulations. Requires such regulations to: (1) require the electronic capture, management, and preservation of such electronic records in accordance with the Federal Records Act; (2) require such records to be retrievable through electronic searches; (3) establish mandatory minimum functional requirements for electronic records management systems and a process to certify federal agency compliance with such requirements; (4) include timelines for federal agency compliance; and (5) include requirements for the capture, management, and preservation of other electronic records. Requires agency and Archivist reports on agency compliance with such regulations.
 * (Sec. 3) Requires the Archivist to: (1) establish standards for the management of electronic presidential records during a President's term of office, including records management controls necessary for the capture, management, and preservation of electronic messages and for ensuring that electronic messages are readily accessible for retrieval through electronic searches; (2) certify annually whether electronic records management controls established by a President meet the requirements of the Presidential Records Act; and (3) report annually to specified congressional committees on the status of such certification.
 * (Sec. 4) Directs the Archivist to prescribe internal procedures to prevent the unauthorized removal of classified records from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) or the destruction or damage of such records, including when such records are accessed electronically. Requires such procedures to: (1) apply to all NARA facilities authorized to store classified records; (2) prohibit any person, other than covered personnel, from viewing classified records in any room that is not secure, except in the presence of NARA personnel or under video surveillance, from being left alone with classified records unless under video surveillance, or from conducting any review of classified records while in the possession of any personal communication device; (3) require all persons seeking access to classified records to consent to a search of their belongings upon conclusion of their records review; and (4) require all writings prepared by persons, other than covered personnel, during the course of a review of classified records to be retained by NARA in a secure facility until such writings are determined to be unclassified, are declassified, or are securely transferred to another secure facility.
 * (Sec. 5) Prohibits the Archivist from making available any original presidential records to anyone claiming access to any such record as a designated representative of a former President if that individual has been convicted of a crime relating to the review, retention, removal, or destruction of records of the Archives.
 * (Sec. 6) Requires the budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, to be determined by reference to the latest statement titled "Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation" submitted for this Act.
 * H.R.1390. Earmark Accountability and Reform Act of 2009.
 * Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to authorize the President to propose the cancellation (line item veto) of any dollar amount of discretionary budget authority, item of direct spending, or targeted tax benefit.
 * Sets forth requirements for the President's transmittal to Congress of a special message regarding a proposed cancellation.
 * Dedicates any cancellation only to deficit reduction or increase of a surplus.
 * Provides for adjustment of: (1) committee allocations resulting from such rescission; and (2) applicable limits, as appropriate, under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
 * Sets forth procedures for expedited congressional consideration of a proposed rescission.
 * Expresses the sense of Congress that no President or any executive branch official should condition the inclusion or exclusion, or threaten to condition the inclusion or exclusion, of any proposed cancellation in any special message under this Act upon any vote cast or to be cast by any Member of either chamber.
 * Amends Rule XXII (House and Senate Relations) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to declare that any earmark that was not committed to conference by either chamber in their disagreeing votes on a measure shall be considered out of scope under such Rule.
 * Amends Rule XIII (Calendars and Committee Reports) to prohibit floor consideration of a report by the Committee on Rules on a rule or order to waive the three-day layover requirement of Rule XIII or Rule XXII, except when agreed to by two-thirds of the Members voting, a quorum being present.
 * H.R. 1436. Government Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Accountability Act. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the President should establish government-wide strategic and performance plans; and (2) each federal agency head should consult with the congressional committees with jurisdiction over the agency at the beginning of each Congress regarding the agency's performance plan. Requires each agency head to: (1) conduct an assessment of each agency program at least once every five fiscal years; (2) determine how assessment information can help save taxpayers money; (3) develop a plan for merging programs with duplicative missions; (3) identify program best practices for allocating resources; and (4) determine program performance levels and ways to improve low performance.
 * H.R. 1507. Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009. Amends federal personnel law relating to whistleblower protections to expand the concept of protected disclosure to include lawful disclosures without restriction to time, place, form, motive, context, forum, or prior disclosure, including a disclosure made in the ordinary course of an employee's duties. Defines evidentiary standards applicable to whistleblower disclosures. Includes as a prohibited personnel practice against whistleblowers the implementation or enforcement of any nondisclosure policy, form, or agreement, a suspension or revocation of a security clearance, and an investigation of a whistleblower.
 * H.R. 1508. Sunshine in Litigation Act of 2009. Sunshine in Litigation Act of 2009 - Amends the federal judicial code to prohibit a court from entering an order restricting the disclosure of information obtained through discovery, approving a settlement disagreement that would restrict such disclosure, or restricting access to court records in a civil case, unless the court has found that: (1) such order would not restrict the disclosure of information which is relevant to the protection of public health or safety; or (2) the public interest in the disclosure of potential health or safety hazards is outweighed by a specific and substantial interest in maintaining the confidentiality of the information, and the requested protective order is no broader than necessary to protect the privacy interest. Prohibits any party from requesting, as a condition for the production of discovery, that another party stipulate to an order that would violate this Act. Prohibits a court from: (1) approving or enforcing an order prohibited under this Act, or any provision of an agreement between parties to a civil action, that restricts a party from disclosing information to any federal or state agency with authority to enforce laws regulating an activity relating to such information; or (2) enforcing any provision of a settlement agreement that prohibits a party from disclosing that a settlement was reached or the terms of the settlement, other than the amount paid, or from discussing a case or evidence that involves matters related to public health or safety, except where the court finds that the public interest in disclosure of potential health and safety hazards is outweighed by a confidentiality interest.
 * H.R. 1575. End Government Reimbursement of Excessive Executive Disbursements (End GREED) Act. End Government Reimbursement of Excessive Executive Disbursements (End GREED) Act - (Sec. 2) Declares that Congress elects to use its constitutional authority to: (1) establish a uniform law on bankruptcy that applies to entities that have received extraordinary financial assistance from the United States on or after September 1, 2008; and (2) authorize the Attorney General, after consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, to seek recovery of previous excessive payments of compensation made by the entities after receiving such assistance, and limit excessive payments of compensation to be made by them.
 * H.R. 1597. To repeal the provision of law that provides automatic pay adjustments for Members of Congress.
 * H.R. 1648. Fiscal Integrity Through Transparency and Technology (FITT) Act of 2009.
 * H.R. 1802. Commission on the Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies Act. Commission on the Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies Act - Establishes the Commission on the Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies to: (1) evaluate executive agencies and their programs; and (2) submit to Congress a plan recommending agencies and programs that should be realigned or eliminated and proposing implementing legislation. Requires the Commission to recommend: (1) realignment where a function performed by two or more agencies or programs can be consolidated; (2) realignment or elimination of any agency or program that has wasted federal funds; and (3) elimination of any agency or program that has completed its purpose, become irrelevant, or failed to meet objectives.
 * H.R. 1825. Clean Up Government Act of 2009. Clean Up Government Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) expand mail and wire fraud prohibitions to include fraudulent use of the mails or wire to obtain any thing of value (currently, limited to money or property); (2) expand venue for prosecutions of federal offenses; (3) increase prison terms for theft or bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and for bribery of public officials and witnesses; (4) include theft of District of Columbia property in the federal crime of stealing public money, property or records; and (5) expand the definition of "official act" for purposes of the crime of bribery of public officials and witnesses. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and amend its guidelines and policy statements to reflect congressional intent to increase penalties for public corruption.
 * H.R.1826. Fair Elections Now Act.
 * Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) with respect to: (1) eligibility and qualifying contribution requirements and benefits of fair elections financing of House of Representatives election campaigns; (2) establishment of a Fair Elections Fund; (3) eligibility for Fund allocations; (4) contribution and expenditure requirements; (5) a public debate requirement; (6) certification of whether or not a federal election candidate is a participating candidate; (7) benefits for participating candidates; (8) matching payments for qualified small dollar contributions; (9) political advertising vouchers; (10) establishment of a Fair Elections Oversight Board; (11) civil penalties for violation of contribution and expenditure requirements; (12) prohibition of joint fundraising committees with any political committee other than a candidate's authorized committee; and (13) a specified limitation on coordinated expenditures by political party committees with participating candidates.
 * Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require the deposit into the Fair Elections Fund of 10% of the proceeds from competitive auctions for recovered analog spectrum.
 * Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow for designation of a certain amount of income tax liability to the Fair Elections Fund.
 * Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to: (1) prohibit the preemption of the use of a broadcasting station by a legally qualified House candidate who has purchased and paid for such use; (2) revise Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authority to revoke licenses for broadcasting stations who fail to provide access to House candidates; and (3) revise the formula for determining reduced broadcast rates for participating candidates in certain circumstances.
 * Directs the FCC to initiate a rulemaking proceeding to establish a standardized form to be used by broadcasting stations to record and report the purchase of advertising time by or on behalf of a candidate for nomination for election, or for election, to federal elective office.
 * Amends FECA to: (1) empower the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari to appeal a civil action; (2) require all designations, statements, and reports required to be filed under FECA to be filed directly with the FEC, and in computer-accessible electronic form; and (3) reduce from 48 to 24 hours after their receipt the deadline for the FEC to make designations, statements, reports, or notifications available to the public in the FEC office and on the Internet.
 * H.J.RES.36. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to abolish the Electoral College and provide for the direct election of the President and Vice President by the popular vote of all citizens of the United States regardless of place of residence.
 * H.RES.216. Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to ensure that Members have a reasonable amount of time to read legislation that will be voted upon.
 * H.RES.276. To provide earmark reform in the House of Representatives.
 * Amends Rule XII (Receipt and Referral of Measures and Matters) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require the Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner (Members) making a request for a congressional earmark or a limited tax or tariff benefit to submit a petition with specified information to the Speaker of the House.
 * Prohibits Members from submitting more than 10 petitions per session of Congress.
 * Requires the Clerk of the House to make the full text of such petition publicly available within two days in a searchable, sortable, and downloadable online database, unless the subject of the petition relates to classified information.
 * Amends Rule XXI (Restrictions on Certain Bills) to: (1) revise earmark disclosure requirements for resolutions prescribing a special order of business; and (2) eliminate separate earmark requirements for appropriations measures.
 * Makes it out of order to consider any measure or matter (including any accompanying report or joint statement) or any amendment which contains: (1) a congressional earmark or limited tax or tariff benefit which was not the subject of a petition submitted to the Speaker and made available by the Clerk at least five legislative days before the request for it; (2) more than two congressional earmarks or limited tax or tariff benefits proposed by any Member; and (3) total new budget authority, credit authority, and other spending authority for all congressional earmarks contained in that measure (including any accompanying report or joint statement) proposed by members of each committee of initial referral that exceeds 200% of such authority as estimated by the Committee on the Budget for all earmarks contained in such measure proposed by nonmembers of those committees.
 * Amends Rule XXIII (Code of Official Conduct) to prohibit Members from requesting a congressional earmark or limited tax or tariff benefit without complying with the petition requirements of Rule XII.
 * H.RES.287. Voting Record Transparency Resolution. Voting Record Transparency Resolution - Requires the Clerk of the House of Representatives to post on the public Internet site of the Office of the Clerk a record, organized by Member name, of the recorded votes of each Member (including each Delegate or Resident Commissioner) taken in the House, including the roll, date, issue, question, result, and title or description of the vote, and any cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) related to the vote. Requires each Member of the House who maintains an official public Internet site using amounts from the Members' Representation Allowance to provide a clearly presented electronic link on the site to his or her individual recorded vote information.

Senate Bills and Resolutions

 * S.537. Sunshine in Litigation Act of 2009. Amends the federal judicial code to prohibit a court from entering an order restricting the disclosure of information obtained through discovery, approving a settlement disagreement that would restrict such disclosure, or restricting access to court records in a civil case, unless the court has found that: (1) such order would not restrict the disclosure of information which is relevant to the protection of public health or safety; or (2) the public interest in the disclosure of potential health or safety hazards is outweighed by a specific and substantial interest in maintaining the confidentiality of the information, and the requested protective order is no broader than necessary to protect the privacy interest. Prohibits any party from requesting, as a condition for the production of discovery, that another party stipulate to an order that would violate this Act.
 * S.612. OPEN FOIA Act of 2009. Amends the Freedom of Information Act to require statutory exemptions to its disclosure requirements to specifically cite its provision that authorizes such exemptions.
 * S.620. A bill to repeal the provision of law that provides automatic pay adjustments for Members of Congress. Amends the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to eliminate automatic pay adjustments for Members of Congress.
 * S.657. Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2009. Authorizes the presiding judge of a U.S. appellate court or U.S. district court to permit the photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting, or televising to the public of court proceedings over which that judge presides, except when such action would constitute a violation of the due process rights of any party.
 * S.752. Fair Elections Now Act.
 * Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) with respect to: (1) eligibility and qualifying contribution requirements and benefits of fair elections financing of Senate election campaigns; (2) establishment of a Fair Elections Fund; (3) eligibility for Fund allocations; (4) contribution and expenditure requirements; (5) a public debate requirement; (6) certification of whether or not a federal election candidate is a participating candidate; (7) benefits for participating candidates; (8) matching payments for qualified small dollar contributions; (9) political advertising vouchers; (10) establishment of a Fair Elections Oversight Board; (11) civil penalties for violation of contribution and expenditure requirements; (12) prohibition of joint fundraising committees with any political committee other than a candidate's authorized committee; and (13) a specified limitation on coordinated expenditures by political party committees with participating candidates.
 * Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to: (1) prohibit the preemption of the use of a broadcasting station by a legally qualified House candidate who has purchased and paid for such use; (2) revise Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authority to revoke licenses for broadcasting stations who fail to provide access to House candidates; and (3) revise the formula for determining reduced broadcast rates for participating candidates in certain circumstances.
 * Directs the FCC to initiate a rulemaking proceeding to establish a standardized form to be used by broadcasting stations to record and report the purchase of advertising time by or on behalf of a candidate for nomination for election, or for election, to federal elective office.
 * Amends FECA to: (1) empower the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari to appeal a civil action; (2) require all designations, statements, and reports required to be filed under FECA to be filed directly with the FEC, and in computer-accessible electronic form; and (3) reduce from 48 to 24 hours after their receipt the deadline for the FEC to make designations, statements, reports, or notifications available to the public in the FEC office and on the Internet.
 * S.RES.63. A resolution to amend the Standing Rules of the Senate to ensure that all congressionally directed spending items in appropriations and authorization legislation fall under the oversight and transparency provisions of S. 1, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007.

= February 2009 =

House Bills and Resolutions

 * H.R.854. Over-Classification Reduction Act. Requires the Archivist of the United States to promulgate regulations to prevent the over-classification of information. Requires the Inspector General of each federal agency that employs an individual with original or derivative classification authority to randomly audit classified information from each agency component with employees that have classification authority. Directs the Archivist: (1) to require, at the time of classification of information, personal identifiers or unique agency identifiers of the individual applying classification markings, including the individual's agency, office, and position, to appear on the information; (2) when implementing the security education and training program pursuant to specified executive orders, to integrate training about the prevention of over-classification of information, the proper use of classification markings, the consequences of over-classification, and the lessons learned from implementation of the regulations; and (3) to implement a detailee program to detail federal agency personnel, on a nonreimbursable basis, to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for training.
 * H.R.899. Ethical and Legal Elections for Congressional Transitions Act. Requires states to hold special elections when a vacancy occurs in the office of U.S. Senator for the state.
 * H.R.946. Plain Writing Act of 2010.
 * Requires the head of each executive agency to: (1) designate one or more senior officials within the agency to oversee the agency's implementation of this Act; (2) communicate this Act's requirements to the agency's employees; (3) train agency employees in "plain writing" (defined as writing that is clear, concise, well-organized, and follows other best practices appropriate to the subject or field and intended audience); (4) establish a process for overseeing the agency's ongoing compliance with this Act's requirements; (5) create and maintain a plain writing section of the agency's website that shall inform the public of agency compliance with the requirements of this Act, provide a mechanism for the agency to receive and respond to public input on agency implementation and agency reports required under this Act, and be accessible from its homepage; and (6) designate one or more agency points-of-contact to receive and respond to public input on the implementation of this Act.
 * Requires each agency, by one year after enactment, to use plain writing in every covered document of the agency that the agency issues or substantially revises. Defines "covered document" to: (1) mean any document that is necessary for obtaining any federal benefit or service or filing taxes, that provides information about any federal benefit or service, or that explains to the public how to comply with a requirement the federal government administers or enforces; (2) include (whether in paper or electronic form) a letter, publication, form, notice, or instruction; and (3) exclude a regulation.
 * Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), by six months after enactment, to develop and issue guidance on implementing the requirements of this Act. Authorizes the Director to designate a lead agency and to use interagency working groups to assist in developing and issuing the guidance. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) an interim guidance; (2) initial and annual compliance reports; and (3) judicial review and enforceability.
 * Requires the budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, to be determined by reference to the latest statement titled "Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation" for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
 * H.R.983. Government Neutrality in Contracting Act. Directs the head of any federal agency that awards or obligates funds for any construction contract, or that awards grants, provides financial assistance, or enters into cooperative agreements for construction projects, to ensure that bid specifications, project agreements, or other controlling documents do not: (1) require or prohibit a bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor from entering into, or adhering to, agreements with a labor organization, with respect to that construction project or another related construction project; or (2) otherwise discriminate against such a party because it did or did not become a signatory or otherwise adhere to such an agreement.
 * H.R.985. Free Flow of Information Act of 2009. Prohibits a federal entity (an entity or employee of the judicial or executive branch or an administrative agency of the federal government), in any matter arising under federal law, from compelling a covered person to testify or produce any document unless a court makes specified determinations by a preponderance of the evidence, including determinations: (1) relating to exhaustion of alternative sources, (2) that the testimony or document sought is critical; (3) that disclosure of the information source's identity is necessary; and (4) that the public interest in compelling disclosure of the information or document involved outweighs the public interest in gathering or disseminating news or information. Allows a court, in making the last of those determinations, to consider the extent of any harm to national security.
 * H.R.1023. Federal Agency Program Realignment and Closure Act. Establishes the Federal Agency Program Realignment and Closure Commission to: (1) evaluate each executive agency and its programs; and (2) submit to the President and Congress a list of the agencies and programs it recommends eliminating or realigning. Requires the Commission to recommend that an agency or program be: (1) realigned where a function performed by two or more agencies or programs can be consolidated; (2) eliminated if it performs a function that is also provided by a state or that would be more efficient if performed at the state level; or (3) eliminated if it performs a function that can be more efficiently performed by a private entity.
 * H.J.RES.21. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to the election of Senators. Provides that no person shall be a Senator from a state unless such person has been elected by the people thereof, and that when vacancies happen in the representation of any state in the Senate, the executive authority of such state shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies.

Senate Bills and Resolutions

 * S.372. Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2010.
 * S.417. State Secrets Protection Act.
 * S.446. A bill to permit the televising of Supreme Court proceedings. Requires the Supreme Court to permit television coverage of all open sessions of the Court unless it decides by majority vote that allowing such coverage in a particular case would violate the due process rights of any of the parties involved.
 * S.448. Free Flow of Information Act of 2009.
 * S.J.RES.11. A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to a seat in the House of Representatives for the District of Columbia. Requires the people of the District constituting the seat of government of the United States to elect one representative to the House of Representatives who is a resident of that District. Declares that the representative so elected shall have the same rights, privileges, and obligations as a Representative from a state.

= January 2009 =


 * Midnight Rule Act -- Amends federal civil service law to provide that a midnight rule (i.e., a rule adopted by an agency within the final 90 days a President serves in office) shall not take effect until 90 days after the agency head is appointed by the new President. (HR 34)
 * Fiscal Discipline, Earmark Reform, and Accountability Act (S 3026) -- amends LDA to require lobbyist disclosure
 * Taxpayer Protection Act (S 195) -- Amends federal civil service law to provide that a midnight rule (i.e., a rule adopted by an agency within the final 90 days a President serves in office) shall not take effect until 90 days after the agency head is appointed by the new President.
 * Judicial Transparency and Ethics Enhancement Act (S 220) -- Amends the federal judicial code to establish the Office of Inspector General for the Judicial Branch of the U.S. government, to be headed by an Inspector General appointed by the Chief Justice. Sets a term of four years, which may be extended by additional reappointments. Authorizes the Chief Justice to remove an Inspector General from office.
 * Hedge Fund Transparency Act (S 344) -- Amends the Investment Company Act of 1940, Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Internal Revenue Code to convert exceptions to the definition of an investment company into exemptions from mandatory registration as one.
 * Public Official Accountability Act (HR 90) -- Amends the federal criminal code to provide for a two-year increase in the prison sentence of public officials convicted of any crime: (1) committed during the course of official duty and intended to enrich such officials; and (2) involving bribery, fraud, extortion, or theft of public funds greater than $10,000.
 * Presidential Signing Statements Act of 2009 (HR 149) -- Presidential Signing Statements Act of 2009 - Requires the President to transmit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the chairmen of the House and Senate Committees on the Judiciary, and to the Senate Majority Leader each signing statement that declares or insinuates the President's intention to disregard provisions of any bill he has signed into law because he believes it is unconstitutional. Requires the President, on the same day that he signs such statement, to transmit it to the Librarian of Congress who shall place it on the Thomas Web site administered by the Library with all other such statements during that Congress.
 * Congressional Lawmaking Authority Protection Act of 2009 (HR 258) -- Prohibits a governmental entity from taking into consideration any presidential signing statement for purposes of construing or applying any Act of Congress.
 * Contempt of the House of Representatives Subpoena Authority Act of 2009 (HR 263) -- Grants the U.S. district court for the District of Columbia original jurisdiction over any civil action brought by the House of Representatives (or any authorized committee or subcommittee) to enforce, to secure a declaratory judgment concerning the validity of, or to prevent a threatened refusal or failure to comply with, any subpoena or order issued by it to any entity acting or purporting to act under color or authority of state law, or to any natural person, to secure the production of: (1) documents or other materials of any kind, or the answering of any deposition or interrogatory; (2) testimony; or (3) any combination of such things.
 * OLC Reporting Act of 2009 (HR 278) - Amends the federal judicial code to require the Attorney General to report to Congress on any instance in which the Attorney General or any officer of the Department of Justice (DOJ) issues an authoritative legal interpretation of any provision of a federal statute that: (1) concludes that the provision is unconstitutional or would be unconstitutional in a particular application; (2) relies for its conclusion on a determination that any other interpretation would raise constitutional concerns under article II of the Constitution or separation of powers principles; (3) relies for its conclusion on a legal presumption against applying the provision to the executive branch or any member thereof; or (4) concludes the provision has been superseded or deprived of effect by a subsequently enacted statute where there is no express statutory language stating an intent to do so.
 * TARP Accountability Act of 2009 (HR 387) - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to require inclusion within each report of condition filed by an insured depository institution which received assistance under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) the amount of any increase in new lending during the period covered by the report (or the amount of any reduction in any decrease in new lending) that is attributable to TARP assistance.
 * To permit the televising of Supreme Court proceedings (HR 429) -- Requires the Supreme Court to permit television coverage of all open sessions of the Court unless it decides by majority vote that allowing such coverage in a particular case would violate the due process rights of any of the parties involved.
 * Government Reform Act of 2009 (HR 443) -- Government Reform Act of 2009- Establishes a Government Reform Commission to: (1) examine the current configuration of executive agencies and investigate their duties and responsibilities; (2) review agency operational jurisdictions to determine whether areas of overlap exist and whether the mission of any agency has become obsolete; (3) review and report to the President and Congress on existing Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and Inspector General reports, together with any other existing governmental and nongovernmental recommendations, including those offered by the President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control, for reducing waste in executive agencies; (4) submit to the President and Congress a proposed reorganization plan which shall provide for the realignment or closure of executive agencies to reduce duplication of services and increase productivity; and (5) transmit a copy of the plan to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), who shall issue a public report detailing the predicted savings in federal expenditures that would result from implementing such plan.
 * Federal Agency Performance Review and Efficiency Act (HR 478) -- Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to make it the principal duty and responsibility of each Inspector General to review, annually, the operations, efficiency, and effectiveness of federal programs within his or her entity and submit annually to Congress and the President recommendations, accompanied by proposed legislation, on whether an abolishment, reorganization, consolidation, or transfer of existing federal programs and agencies is necessary to: (1) reduce federal expenditures; (2) increase efficiency of government operations; (3) eliminate overlap and duplication in federal programs and offices; (4) abolish agencies or programs that no longer serve an important governmental purpose; and (5) identify reductions in amounts of discretionary budget authority or direct spending that can be dedicated to federal deficit reduction.
 * Judicial Transparency and Ethics Enhancement Act of 2009 (HR 486) -- Judicial Transparency and Ethics Enhancement Act of 2009 - Amends the federal judicial code to establish the Office of Inspector General for the Judicial Branch of the U.S. government, to be headed by an Inspector General appointed by the Chief Justice. Sets a term of four years, which may be extended by additional reappointments. Authorizes the Chief Justice to remove an Inspector General from office.
 * Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President of the United States should not issue pardons to senior members of his administration during the final 90 days of his term of office (H Res 9) -- Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) President George W. Bush should not grant preemptive pardons to senior officials of his Administration for acts they may have taken in the course of their official duties; (2) a special investigative commission or Select Committee should be tasked with investigating possible illegal activities by such senior Administration officials, including any abuse of the President's pardon power; and (3) the next Attorney General should appoint an independent counsel to investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute illegal acts by senior Administration officials.
 * A bill to prohibit authorized committees and leadership PACs from employing the spouse or immediate family members of any candidate or Federal office holder connected to the committee S 104) -- Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit any authorized committee of a candidate or any other political committee established, maintained, or controlled by a candidate or person who holds a federal office from employing the spouse or any immediate family member of such candidate or federal office holder.
 * A bill to require disclosure and payment of noncommercial air travel in the Senate (S 103) -- Amends Rule XXXV (Gifts) of the Standing Rules of the Senate to require a Member, officer, or employee of the Senate to: (1) disclose a flight taken in connection with official duties on an aircraft that is not licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate for compensation or hire (unless it is owned, operated, or leased by a governmental entity); (2) reimburse the aircraft's owner or lessee for the pro rata share of the flight's fair market value; and (3) report to the Secretary of the Senate specified information about the trip, including its purpose and the persons on it (other than the pilot).
 * A bill to require the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation to use dynamic economic modeling in addition to static economic modeling in the preparation of budgetary estimates of proposed changes in Federal revenue law. (S 154) -- Expresses the sense of Congress that it is necessary to ensure that Congress is presented with reliable information from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation as to the dynamic macroeconomic feedback effects to changes in federal law and the probable behavioral responses of taxpayers, businesses, and other parties to such changes.