Acts

Every Student Succeeds Act (2015)

part of Race to the Top initiative, states could determine educational standards and uphold protections for disadvantaged students, must be approved by Department of Education

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) (2002)

improved teaching methods, testing, and sanctions for underperforming schools, federal government would increase role in education, received severe criticism as standards were unrealistic

Race to the Top

initiative by Obama offering incentives for states to adopt new national education standards or develop own, ESSA part of it

USA PATRIOT Act (2001)

passed after 9/11 to prevent future terrorist attacks, covered intelligence gathering and sharing among agencies, criminal procedure, border protection, expanded phone tapping authority, and more. Questioned by the people with Fourth Amendment as many communities and people lost privacy, altered by USA Freedom Act in 2015 that kept only certain parts to protect privacy

Defense of Marriage Act (1996)

defined marriage as between one man and one woman, put down with Obergefell v. Hodges that ruled same-sex marriage was legal

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (1996)

bipartisan law that restructured the welfare system to return much authority and distribution to the states

Clean Air Act (1970)

called for improvement of air quality and decreased contaminants, ultimately required Department of Transportation to decrease car emissions

Clean Water Act (1972)

regulated discharges of pollutants into US waters and monitors quality standards for surface waters

Endangered Species Act (1973)

established program empowering National Fish and Wildlife Service to protect endangered species

Kyoto Protocol (1997)

international agreement to combat climate change, nations signing would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, US did not take part because of conservative opposition

Paris Agreement (2015)

international climate agreement, Obama bypassed conservative Senate opposition with an executive order and joined, Trump did the same to withdraw from it

Controlled Substances Act (1970)

comprehensive federal drug policy part of Nixon’s war on drugs initiative, first federal law to truly take action on drugs, categorized heroin, cocaine, marijuana and more as with no medical benefits

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965)

federal funding was offered to states if requirements of act were made, Congress would decide

War Powers Act (1973)

limits executive war power by requiring Congress to be informed within 48 hours of committing forces to combat. Congress has to vote within 60 days to approve military force and funding

Civil Service Reform Act (1978)

altered how a bureaucrat is dismissed, limited preferences for veterans to balance genders and allowed President to choose put upper-level employments

Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883)

passed to prevent constant reward to loyal party members, creating the merit system

Administrative Procedures Act (1946)

guides agencies in developing rules and procedures, assures citizens and industries affected that they have input, providing access points

Whistleblower Protection Act (1989)

prohibits a federal agency from retaliating or threatening an employee for disclosing acts believed to be illegal or dishonest

Freedom of Information Act (1966)

gives the public the right to request access to records or information

Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (1993)

established a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases to allow for background checks, expired in 1998 but similar policy was established. There were many loopholes as background checks were avoidable at gun shows and Internet purchases allowed for skipping background checks too.

Gun Control Act (1968)

ended mail-order sales of all firearms and ammunition and banned sale of guns to felons, fugitives, illegal drug users, people with mental illness, and dishonorably discharged veterans

National Firearms Act (1934)

required registration of certain weapons, imposed a sales and manufacturing tax on certain guns, and restricted sale and ownership of high risk weapons

USA PATRIOT Act (2015)

altered government access to phone data making it harder to access

Equal Pay Act (1963)

required employers to pay women and men the same wage for the same job; still possible to deny women jobs though

Civil Rights Act of 1875

made it illegal for privately owned public accommodations to separate by race; outlaws discrimination in jury selection, public schools, churchers, cemeteries, and transportation

Civil Rights Act of 1964

established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, prohibits discrimination based on national origin too, prohibits discrimination in public places

Civil Rights Cases (1883)

the conservative court overruled the Civil Rights Act of 1875 and enabled discrimination in commercial affairs

Title II (Civil Rights Act of 1964)

ensured one cannot turn away others based on race

Voting Rights Act of 1965

empowered Congress and federal government to oversee state elections in southern states to ensure votes weren’t restricted; required asking for preclearance to enact new registration policies as well, outlawed literacy tests

North American Free Trade Agreement (1994)

agreement between US, Canada, and Mexico to lift trade barriers and remove import taxes

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010)

Obamacare, made health insurance more affordable

Social Security Act (1935)

created Social Security during the Great Depression to create a federal safety net for the elderly and unemployed

1957 Civil Rights Act

addressed voter registration discrimination and created the Office of Civil Rights to monitor it

Help America Vote Act (2002)

adds requirements on states to create national standards for voting, upgrades elections to electronic formats and makes it easter for those with disabilities, voter fraud is acted against

National Voter Registration Act (1993)

passed to increase participation and alleviating burden of making voter registration effort, also known as motor-voter law, makes voter registration much easier with mail-in opportunities and at more places

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (2002)

also known as the McCain-Feingold Act, bans soft money donations to national parties, increases limits on hard money donations, prohibits PACs from paying for electioneering advertising and requires the message candidates say in ads to approve the message

Federal Election Campaign Act (1971)

tightened reporting requirements and limited candidate spending as well as PAC donations, created Federal Election Commission