jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Congress
Date: 2011-12-13 00:00:00

Prevent Insider Trading by Elected Officials Act - Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to require the President, Vice President, and each Member of Congress to place all of his or her stocks, bonds, commodities futures, and other forms of securities, including securities held jointly with a spouse, in a qualified blind trust. Exempts from such requirement any financial interests in or income derived from: (1) the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS), including the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP); (2) any other federal retirement system for U.S. officers and employees, including the President, or for members of the uniformed services; or (3) benefits received under the Social Security Act. Requires such individuals to comply with this Act within 30 days after taking office, or, if an incumbent, within 30 days after enactment of this Act. Allows the President and Vice President to file with the Director of the Office of Government Ethics for an additional 30-day extension in order to comply with this Act. Allows a Member of Congress to file, as appropriate, with the Clerk of the House of Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate for such 30-day extension. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring a civil action against the President, the Vice President, or any Member of Congress for noncompliance with this Act.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Congress
Date: 2012-02-03 00:00:00

Sunlight Act of 2012 - Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to require annual financial disclosure statements of Members of Congress and congressional officers and employees to include the exact dollar amount. Requires such reports filed with the Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate (as well as travel-related information) to be made available to the general public on the Internet. Amends Rule II (Other Officers and Officials) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require, during general debate on any measure, the Clerk to project on a wall of the Hall of the House the subject matter of that debate so that it is visible to Members and to visitors in the gallery. Amends Rule XXI (Restrictions on Certain Bills) to make it out of order to consider: (1) any bill, joint resolution, or conference report unless it is made available to Members and the general public on the Internet for at least 48 hours before its consideration; or (2) any amendment unless it is made available on the Internet within one hour after it is filed (if made in order by a rule) or immediately (if offered under an open rule). Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require all mandatory reports to be filed in an electronic form accessible by computers. Revises requirements for mandatory reports on contributions made to any political committee shortly before an election. Extends from 20 days before to 30 days before the election the beginning of the look-back period for such contributions, and from 48 hours before the election to the closing of the polls the end of the look-back period. Applies the requirements to any contribution (currently, only those of $1,000 or more). Requires such reports to be made within 24 hours after receipt or, if earlier, by midnight of the day on which the contribution is deposited (currently, within 48 hours after receipt).
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Congress
Date: 2012-02-09 00:00:00

Prohibits Members of Congress, senior congressional staffers, and administration executives from purchasing or selling registered securities, futures, swaps, security futures products, security-based swaps, and options on them, subject to specified exceptions. Subjects any person who violates such requirement to specified federal administrative penalties relating to material nonpublic information received in the course of employment. Prohibits senior executives at the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (government-sponsored enterprises [GSEs])from receiving bonuses during any period of conservatorship on or after the enactment of this Act.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2012-02-09 00:00:00

Disclosure of Information on Spending on Campaigns Leads to Open and Secure Elections Act of 2012 or DISCLOSE 2012 Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to redefine the term "independent expenditure" as an expenditure by a person that, when taken as a whole, expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, or is the functional equivalent of express advocacy because it can be interpreted by a reasonable person only as advocating the election or defeat of a candidate, taking into account whether the communication involved mentions a candidacy, a political party, or a challenger to a candidate, or takes a position on a candidates, qualifications, or fitness for office. Expands the period during which certain communications are treated as electioneering communications. Prescribes: (1) disclosure requirements for corporations, labor organizations, and certain other entities; and (2) disclaimer requirements for campaign-related disbursements and for certain communications. Requires any communication transmitted through radio or television to include an individual or organizational disclosure statement, together with: (1) the Top Two Funders List of the persons providing the largest and second largest aggregate payments of $10,000 or more for a radio communication, and (2) the Top Five Funders List of the five persons providing the largest aggregate payments of $10,000 or more for a television communication. Repeals the prohibition against political contributions by individuals age 17 or younger. Requires a covered organization which submits regular, periodic reports to its shareholders, members, or donors on its finances or activities to include in each report, in a clear and conspicuous manner, the information included in the statements it has filed about campaign-related disbursements the organization has made during the period covered by the report. Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require semiannual reports on certain election campaign contributions filed with the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House of Representatives by registered lobbyists (or persons or organizations required to register as lobbyists) to contain: (1) the amount of any independent expenditure of $1,000 or more made by each such person or organization, along with the name of each candidate being supported or opposed and the amount spent supporting or opposing that candidate; and (2) the amount of any electioneering communication of $1,000 or more made by such person or organization, along with the name of the candidate referred to in the communication and whether the communication involved was in support of or in opposition to the candidate.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Date: 2012-02-14 00:00:00

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: (1) a five-year lobbying ban on all former Members of Congress; and (2) a two-year (currently, one-year) ban on lobbying contacts by former elected officers of either chamber, former congressional employees, or former employees of any other legislative office with any Member, officer, or employee.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2012-03-01 00:00:00

Voter ID Accessibility Act of 2012 - Amends the Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require states that have in effect a photo identification requirement as a condition for voting in a federal election to provide individuals who do not have a government-issued photo identification with such an identification, without charge, upon request.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2012-03-07 00:00:00

Hatch Act Modernization Act of 2012 - Amends the Hatch Act to: (1) eliminate the prohibition against state and local employees seeking partisan elective office; (2) make employees of the District of Columbia subject to the provisions applicable to state and local employees (currently, District employees are subject to the provisions applicable to federal employees); and (3) revise penalties for violations to allow penalties other than termination of employment.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2012-03-08 00:00:00

Weekend Voting Act - Amends the Revised Statutes with respect to the time of election to establish the first Saturday and Sunday after the first Friday in November, in every even numbered year, as the days for the election, in each state and territory, of Delegates to, or Members of, Congress. Amends federal law with respect to presidential elections and vacancies to establish the first Saturday and Sunday after the first Friday in November, in every fourth year, as the days for the election of the President and Vice President of the United States. Amends such federal laws to establish the same polling place hours in the United States for both congressional and presidential elections, namely from 10:00 a.m. EST on Saturday till 6:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, with polls allowed to close between the hours of 10:00 p.m. local time on Saturday and 6:00 a.m. local time on Sunday as provided by the law of the state in which the polling place is located.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2012-03-08 00:00:00

Allowing Qualified Local Employees to Serve Act - Amends the Hatch Act to eliminate the prohibition against state and local employees seeking partisan elective office.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Date: 2012-03-29 00:00:00

Foreign Lobbying Reform Act - Amends the federal criminal code to establish a ten-year ban on lobbying contacts by former Presidents, Vice Presidents, Members of Congress, and specified appointees with any Member, officer, or employee of either chamber, or executive branch officer or employee to represent, aid, or advise a foreign entity. Subjects violators of this Act to fines and imprisonment, or both.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2012-05-17 00:00:00

Poll Tape Transparency Act of 2012 - Amends the Help America Vote Act with respect to the requirements for each voting system used in a federal election. Requires the appropriate election official, upon the closing of the polls at each polling place, and under the observation of the certified tabulation observers admitted to the polling place, to: (1) announce the vote orally; (2) post a copy of the poll tape reflecting the totals from each voting machine in the polling place upon which votes were cast; (3) prepare and post a statement of the total number of individuals who appeared at the polling place to cast ballots; and (4) display by noon the following day, at a prominent public location, a copy of each poll tape and statement. Requires display of such information also on the official public websites of the applicable local election official and chief state election official. Specifies similar treatment of ballots cast at early voting sites, absentee ballots, and the daily count of provisional ballots.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2012-05-17 00:00:00

Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2012 - Amends the Revised Statutes and federal criminal law to prohibit any person, whether acting under color of law or otherwise, from knowingly deceiving any other person regarding: (1) the time, place, or manner of conducting any federal election; or (2) the qualifications for or restrictions on voter eligibility for any such election. Creates a private right of action for any person aggrieved by a violation of such prohibition. Prescribes a criminal penalty for such deceptive acts. Authorizes any person to report to the Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice certain acts of deception involving federal elections. Requires the Assistant Attorney General, within 48 hours after receiving such a report, to investigate it and, if an act of deception occurred, to: (1) undertake all effective measures necessary to provide correct information to voters affected by the deception, and (2) refer the matter to the appropriate federal and state authorities for criminal prosecution. Directs the Attorney General to study the feasibility of providing such corrective information through public service announcements, the emergency alert system, or other forms of public broadcast.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2012-05-17 00:00:00

Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2011 [sic] - 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. Requires the voting system to require the use of an individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballot of the voter's vote that shall be marked and made available for inspection by the voter before the voter's vote is cast and counted, and which shall be counted by hand or read by an optical scanner or other counting device. Requires the voting system to provide the voter with an opportunity to correct any system-made error in the voter-verified paper ballot before it is permanently preserved. Requires each paper ballot used to be: (1) suitable for a manual audit, and (2) counted by hand in any recount or audit conducted with respect to any federal election. Sets forth a special rule for treatment of disputes when paper ballots have been shown to be compromised. Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to make grants to eligible entities to study, test, and develop accessible ballot voting, verification, and casting mechanisms and devices and best practices to enhance the accessibility of paper ballot voting and verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities, for voters whose primary language is not English, and for voters with difficulties in literacy. Specifies additional voting system requirements and prohibitions. Requires the NSF Director to make grants to eligible entities to conduct research on the development of election-dedicated voting system software. Makes available additional funding to enable states to meet the costs of the requirements imposed by this Act. Provides for complaints to the Attorney General by persons aggrieved by violations of HAVA. Requires each state to administer audits of federal election results, without advance notice to the precincts selected, consisting of random hand counts of the voter-verified paper ballots. Makes an exception from this requirement for elections in which the winning candidate had no opponent or received 80% or more of the vote total. Prescribes requirements for determination of the number of ballots counted under the audit. Prescribes the process for administering audits. Requires the Election Auditor of a state, as soon as practicable after the completion of an audit, to submit the results to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) for publication. Prohibits certification of the results of any election until completion of audits. Provides for payments to states for the costs of conducting audits. Exempts from this Act any election for which a recount under state law will commence before certification of the election results. Repeals the EAC's exemption from certain federal government contracting requirements.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2012-05-18 00:00:00

Amends the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to permit a valid voter registration and absentee ballot request submitted by an absent U.S. military or civilian overseas voter with respect to an election for a U.S. federal office to be treated as a request for each subsequent election held in that person's normal state of residence through the next regularly scheduled general election. Provides an exception for voters changing their state of registration. Prohibits a state from refusing to accept or process an otherwise valid absentee registration or ballot application from such voters on the grounds that it was submitted before the date on which such state accepts or processes such applications from domestic voters.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2012-06-07 00:00:00

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal provisions providing for the use of funds from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund for presidential nominating conventions.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2012-06-27 00:00:00

Obtaining Information Through Leasing on Money and Disclosure Act or OIL Money Disclosure Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to issue new oil and gas leases on federal lands under the Mineral Leasing Act and submerged lands under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act only to a bidder that has submitted a list containing the date, amount, and recipient during the previous five years of: (1) any payments consisting of a contribution, expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement for an electioneering communication made by the bidder in connection with any election for federal office; and (2) any disbursement of other funds made by the bidder with the reasonable expectation that the individual or entity will use them to make such a payment. Requires the Secretary to publish each such list within 10 days after its receipt.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Congress
Date: 2012-07-12 00:00:00

Amends the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to reduce the rate of pay otherwise applicable to Members of Congress for any month, during a Congress, by the Member's missed vote percentage for the most recent month before such month if the individual missed votes because of campaigning for election to another office. Applies this requirement to a vote taken in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union unless the Member of the House of Representatives did not engage in any campaign-related activity on the date of the vote. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer from the general fund of the Treasury to a specified mandatory account to reduce the public debt the difference between the aggregate amount expended for pay of Members of Congress for the fiscal year and the aggregate amount that would have been expended but for the reduction in pay.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2012-07-25 00:00:00

Candidate Accountability Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to limit to $50,000 in a federal election the aggregate contributions any person may make to any candidate and the candidate's authorized committees during the 5-day period ending on the election date. Sunsets all other current federal election contributions limits as of December 31, 2012. Repeals current restrictions and requirements on independent and coordinated election expenditures by political party committees after the party nominates a candidate. Replaces them with a special rule for direct costs of communications. Subjects to specified limitations the direct costs incurred by a political committee of a political party for a communication made in connection with the campaign of a candidate for federal office only if the communication is controlled by, or made at the direction of, the candidate or an authorized committee of the candidate. Requires each political committee to post mandatory contribution information on its public website: (1) within 7 days after receiving the contribution, or (2) within 2 days if the aggregate contributions of the contributor exceed $10,000.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2012-08-01 00:00:00

Verifying Official Totals for Elections Act - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to prohibit a voting system used in a federal election from containing or using any election-dedicated voting system technology which is not deposited by the state (or at the state's option by the vendor of the technology) with the National Software Reference Library of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) before the election. Requires the Director of NIST to: (1) hold the technology in escrow; and (2) disclose it and information about it to a qualified person who has entered into a nondisclosure agreement with respect to it, or to whom the Director is permitted or required to disclose the technology under state law.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2012-08-01 00:00:00

Campaign Sunlight Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to direct the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to establish and operate a website (Campaign Accountability Site) through which members of the public may view the contents of political advertisements. Requires the sponsor of a political advertisement to submit its contents to the FEC in a format the FEC may require. Requires the format to make the sources of such contents available on the website directly or through hyperlinks to the sources. Requires the sponsor to submit an advertisement to the FEC within: (1) 24 hours after its dissemination, if it is disseminated during the 7 days before the election involved; or (2) 72 hours after dissemination during any other period.
Topic: Government Operations — Political Campaigns
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2012-08-02 00:00:00

Restoring Confidence in Our Democracy Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to set forth special rules for electioneering communications, especially targeted communications, which national banks, corporations, and labor organizations are prohibited from paying for. Defines "targeted communications" as electioneering communications distributed from a television or radio broadcast station or provider of cable or satellite television service and, in the case of a communication which refers to a candidate for an office other than President or Vice President, is targeted to the relevant electorate. Prohibits independent expenditures by national banks, corporations, and labor organizations. Applies certain limitations on contributions made by any person to a political committee to any contribution to a political committee which accepts donations or contributions that do not comply with contribution or source prohibitions (or made to any account of a political committee established to accept such noncompliant donations or contributions).