H.R. 8363: Protecting Our Democracy Act

116th Congress · introduced 2020-09-23 · Government Operations and Politics · Latest: Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, the Budget, Transportation and Infrastructure, Rules, Foreign Affairs, Ways and Means, Intelligence (Permanent Select), and House Administration, 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.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2020-09-23 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA-28] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, the Budget, Transportation and Infrastructure, Rules, Foreign Affairs, Ways and Means, Intelligence (Permanent Select), and House Administration, 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. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Protecting Our Democracy Act

Plain summary

Protecting Our Democracy Act This bill addresses issues involving (1) abuses of presidential power; (2) checks and balances, accountability, and transparency; and (3) foreign interference in elections. Specifically, regarding abuses of presidential power, the bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the President to submit to Congress specified materials relating to certain pardons; prohibits self-pardons by the President; suspends the statute of limitations for any federal offense committed by a sitting President or Vice President; prohibits the acceptance of foreign or domestic emoluments, authorizes civil actions by Congress concerning foreign emoluments, and requires the President to make certain disclosures; and sets forth provisions regarding enforcement authority of the Office of Government Ethics and Office of Special Counsel jurisdiction. To address checks and balances, accountability, and transparency, the bill, among other things authorizes specified actions to enforce congressional subpoenas, requires appropriations to be made available for obligation in a timely manner, imposes limits on presidential declarations of emergencies, requires DOJ to maintain a log of communications between it and the White House regarding certain investigations, requires cause for removal of inspectors general, increases whistleblower protections, reauthorizes the Merit Systems Protection Board, and establishes penalties for political appointees who engage in prohibited political activities. To protect against foreign interference in elections, the bill requires federal campaign reporting of foreign contacts, requires federal campaigns to establish a foreign contacts compliance policy, and specifies that foreign donations to political campaigns and candidates of nonpublic information relating to a candidate are prohibited.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Protecting Our Democracy Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA-28] · 92 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Richard E. Neal (D-MA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Hakeem S. Jeffries (D-NY), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Ami Bera (D-CA), André Carson (D-IN), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Dina Titus (D-NV), Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA), Ed Case (D-HI), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Jason Crow (D-CO), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Joe Courtney (D-CT), John B. Larson (D-CT), John Garamendi (D-CA), Joseph D. Morelle (D-NY), Kweisi Mfume (D-MD), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Mark Takano (D-CA), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Peter Welch (D-VT), Raul Ruiz (D-CA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and 32 more.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA-28] reported raising $10.4 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (5)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Jurisdiction: The area or the matters a government or court has authority over.
Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.
Statute: A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116hr8363.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/hr>

Record fed-us-cong116-hr8363 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116