key legislation

Hatch Act, 1939

Limits political activities of civil service employees.

Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title II

bans discrimination in public places on basis of race, color, national origin, or religion.

Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII

Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, and sex.Allows employers to give racial preferences in hiring.

● Executive Order #11246 required federal contractors to adopt affirmative action programs.

● Allowed class action suits.

● Enforced by EEOC.

Executive Order #11246

Required federal contractors to adopt affirmative action programs.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Suspended literacy tests.

Empowered federal officials to register voters.

Empowered federal officials to ensure that citizens could vote.

Empowered federal officials to count ballots.

Prohibited states from changing voting procedures without federal permission.

Age Discrimination in Employment Act, 1967

Bans age discrimination for jobs unless age is related to job performance.

Air Quality Act, 1967

Established emissions standards for cars and factories and minimum standards for states.

Federal Election Campaign Acts, 1971-1974

Created FEC, required disclosure of contributions and expenditures, and provided limitations on contributions. provided subsidies for presidential candidates

Title IX of Education Act of 1972

Prohibited gender discrimination in federally subsidized education programs.

War Powers Act, 1973

Limited the president's power to send troops overseas without notifying Congress.

Freedom of Information Act, 1974

Allows public access to nonclassified federal documents.

Budget and Impoundment Control Act, 1974

Established congressional budget committees.

Established CBO.

Extended budget process by three months.

Allows either house to override temporary impoundment (deferral).

Automatically voids permanent impoundment (rescission) unless both houses approve within 45 days.

Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Bill, 1985

Set gradual budget reduction targets to lead to a balanced budget.

Across-the-board budget cuts (sequestering of funds) to kick in if targets not met.

Loopholes -> abandonment in late 80s.

Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990

Bans job discrimination against disabled individuals and requires access to facilities.

National Voter Registration Bill, 1993

Requires states to allow voter registration during driver's license application processes.

Religious Freedom Restoration Act, 1993

Restored the compelling purpose guideline for courts when states restrict religious liberty.

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995

Requires analysis of unfunded mandates on states and requires separate congressional votes.

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, 1996

Ended federal entitlement status of welfare.

● In its place, federal govt. gave block grants to states to administer welfare.

● “Strings” attached to these grants:

1. Recipients must work within 2 years.

2. Recipients cannot receive benefits for more than 5 years.

Defense of Marriage Act, 1996

States are not required to recognize same-sex marriages.

No Child Left Behind Act, 2001

Mandates education accountability standards and annual testing for students. sanctions against schools that fail to meet adequate yearly progress

USA Patriot Act, 2001

Strengthens federal government’s power to conduct surveillance and detain individuals to combat terrorism.

McCain-Feingold Bill (BCRA), 2002

Raised hard money limits to $2000 (adjusted for inflation to $2900)

Banned soft money contributions to national political parties