Assessing Monetary Influence in the Courts of the United States Act or the AMICUS Act This bill requires certain disclosures in relation to amicus briefs (i.e., briefs that are filed by those who are not a party to a case but have an interest in the case). Specifically, each amicus brief that is filed in a U.S. court of appeals or the Supreme Court must list the name of any person who contributed (1) to the preparation or submission of the brief, (2) at least 3% of the gross annual revenue of the entity filing the brief for the previous year, or (3) more than $100,000 in the previous year to the filer. Such requirements do not apply to routine commercial transactions that are unrelated to amicus brief filings. The bill also prohibits those who file amicus briefs from giving gifts or providing travel to a judge of a U.S. court of appeals or a justice of the Supreme Court, except for reimbursements for travel expenses in relation to law school appearances. Violators are subject to civil penalties.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Sponsored bills
Fair and Independent Experts in Clemency Act or the FIX Clemency Act This bill establishes the independent U.S. Clemency Board, which shall review applications and recommend individuals for clemency directly to the President. It also abolishes the Office of the Pardon Attorney of the Department of Justice and transfers its functions, assets, and personnel to the board.
Bivens Act of 2021 This bill provides individuals with a statutory right to sue and recover damages from federal officials for violations of their constitutional rights. Currently, individuals have a statutory right to bring such suits against state or local officials (e.g., law enforcement), commonly known as Section 1983 suits or Bivens actions. Although the statute does not explicitly authorize such suits against federal officials, the Supreme Court has found this right to be inferred from the Constitution in certain situations (e.g., Fourth Amendment violations committed by federal law enforcement officers).
Harnessing Opportunities by Pursuing Expungement Act of 2021 or the HOPE Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make grants to states and local governments to reduce the financial and administrative burden of expunging convictions for state cannabis offenses. The bill also requires DOJ to study and report on (1) the effects on an individual of a criminal record report of a conviction for a criminal offense related to cannabis, and (2) the costs incurred for incarcerating an individual for a criminal offense related to cannabis.
Stop Corporate Capture Act This bill modifies the process for federal agency rulemaking. Specifically, it (1) requires interested parties who submit a study or research as part of a comment to a proposed rule to disclose the source of the funding for the study or research, (2) limits the use of the negotiated rulemaking process to government agencies, (3) provides statutory authority for the judicial principle that requires courts to defer to an agency's reasonable or permissible interpretation of a federal law when the law is silent or ambiguous (i.e., the Chevron doctrine), and (4) establishes an Office of the Public Advocate to support public participation in the rulemaking process.
Private Prison Information Act of 2021 This bill specifies that a record related to a nonfederal prison, correctional, or detention facility must be considered a federal agency record for purposes of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). A nonfederal prison, correctional, or detention facility must disclose information under FOIA unless the information is exempt from disclosure or the disclosure is prohibited by law. The term nonfederal prison, correctional, or detention facility means (1) a private prison, correctional, or detention facility; or (2) a state or local prison, jail, or other correctional or detention facility.
9/11 Immigrant Worker Freedom Act This bill provides lawful permanent resident status to qualifying aliens who performed rescue, debris cleanup, or related services following the September 11, 2001, attacks. This bill shall apply to an alien who (1) performed a certain number of hours of such services in New York, New York, after the attack; (2) was exposed to debris from the former World Trade Center and airborne toxins while performing vehicle maintenance services after the attack; or (3) performed rescue, cleanup, or related services following the attack on the Pentagon or the aircraft crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. An individual who has applied for lawful permanent resident status under this bill shall receive work authorization while the application is pending. An individual who willfully makes a material misrepresentation or material omission related to the performance of these services may not receive lawful permanent resident status under this bill.
Stop Wall Street Looting Act This bill generally revises provisions related to the regulation of private equity funds. Among other things, the bill increases financial and legal liability for these funds in the event of certain violations of law, gives employee compensation higher priority in bankruptcies, and generally prohibits the payment of dividends for two years from an acquired asset firm to a private equity fund. The bill modifies the tax treatment of carried interest—compensation that is typically received by a partner of a private equity fund and is based on a share of the fund's profits. (Under current law, carried interest is taxed as investment income rather than at ordinary income tax rates.) Among other things, the bill treats as ordinary income the net capital gain with respect to a private equity fund.
Cameroon TPS Act of 2021 This bill permits nationals of Cameroon to qualify for temporary protected status, which prevents their removal from the United States and allows them to obtain employment and travel authorization. Such status shall be available to qualifying nationals of Cameroon for 18 months starting from this bill's enactment.
Fair Adjudications for Immigrants Act This bill narrows the scope of certain crime-based grounds for barring or removing an alien from the United States. (Generally, a conviction for certain crimes, such as a crime that carries a term of incarceration of a certain length, may constitute grounds for denying an individual certain immigration benefits.) The bill redefines the term conviction to exclude convictions that have been dismissed, expunged, deferred, annulled, invalidated, withheld, vacated, or pardoned. The term must also exclude adjudications where a court issued a recommendation against removal, an order of probation without entry of judgment, or a similar disposition. In addition, any reference to a term of imprisonment or sentence must, unless otherwise provided (1) only consider the period of incarceration ordered by a court, and (2) exclude any suspended portion of a sentence. Currently, for immigration purposes, a term of incarceration includes any part of the sentence that was suspended. These provisions pertaining to the definition of conviction and terms of imprisonment shall apply to convictions and judgments entered either before or after this bill's enactment. Furthermore, certain crime-based grounds for barring or removing an alien shall not apply if the sentencing court issues a recommendation that the alien not be removed on the basis of the conviction.