Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the next president of the United States should immediately work to reverse damaging and illegal actions taken by the Bush/Cheney Administration and collaborate with Congress to proactively prevent any further abuses of executive branch power.

Bill: 110-hres-1509
Sponsor: Rep. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI-2]
Introduced: 2008-09-26 in the House
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Caribbean area
Conflicts and wars
Congressional oversight
Constitution and constitutional amendments
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Cuba
Detention of persons
Federal officials
Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
Government studies and investigations
Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information
Iraq
Judicial review and appeals
Latin America
Middle East
Military facilities and property
Military operations and strategy
Presidential administrations
Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents
Terrorism
War crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: 
States that the next President must: (1) reaffirm the commitment to upholding the Constitution of the United States; (2) fully investigate Bush/Cheney Administration officials' alleged crimes and hold them accountable for any illegal acts; (3) make such officials comply with congressional subpoenas; (4) hold accountable officials who disclose the identity of any covert agent; (5) hold accountable officials who pursue politically motivated prosecutions; (6) ensure that any official guilty of a war crime is prosecuted under the War Crimes Act and the Anti-Torture Act; (7) affirm the sole legal right of Congress to declare war; (8) make criminal an official's lying to Congress and the public about the reasons for going to war; (9) restore the writ of habeas corpus as an essential principle of democracy; (10) ensure that torture and rendition is uniformly prohibited under U.S. law; (11) immediately close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp; (12) require independent judicial review of claims of state secrets privilege by executive officials; (13) reaffirm that the Office of the Vice President is part of the executive branch; (14) publicly review potential abuses of the presidential pardon process; and (15) reform the use of presidential signing statements.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, 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.
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, 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.
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, 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.
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, 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.
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, 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.
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Introduced in House