Platform Accountability and Transparency Act

S 5339 - Platform Accountability and Transparency Act (pre introduction). Supported provisions concerning platform transparency and access to information for researchers. S 3608 - Social Media NUDGE Act. Supported ensuring any Section 230 provisions protect free expression. Support a free and open internet that disincentivizes problematic online behavior.

Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: SENATE

Issues and discussions related to technology and the Internet including privacy, security, competition, research, trademark counterfeiting and copyright piracy issues; online advertising, content and platform transparency efforts; diversity and improving education in science, technology and engineering; protecting children, bullying prevention and online safety; human and wildlife trafficking issues; data portability and interoperability; data breach; net neutrality, connectivity and network usage issues; platform integrity and cybersecurity; storage and access to electronic communications and encryption; blockchain policy; manipulated media; continued conversations on Artificial Intelligence; Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act; S. 3029, H.R. 2154, Protecting Americans from Dangerous Algorithms Act; S. 3538, EARN IT Act of 2022; S. 797, PACT Act; S. 427, Promise Act; S. 1260, United States Innovation and Competition Act; S. 1843, H.R. 3429, Shop Safe Act; S. 1477, Data and Algorithm Transparency Agreement (DATA) Act; S. 2918, KIDS Act; S. 2448, Health Misinformation Act of 2021; S. 971, Children and Media Research Advancement Act (CAMRA Act); S. 2024, Filter Bubble Transparency Act; S. 3663, Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA); S. 3608, Nudging Users to Drive Good Experiences on Social Media (Social Media NUDGE) Act; H.R. 4346, CHIPS and Science Act of 2022; S. 2710, Open App Markets Act; S. 4258, Competition and Transparency in Digital Advertising Bill; H.R. 8152, American Data and Privacy Protection Act; S. 1628, Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act; Cooper Davis Act; S. 5339, Platform Accountability and Transparency Act (PATA); H.R. 2617, Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (Omnibus)

Client expense: $3,650,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Commerce, Dept of (DOC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), SENATE, State, Dept of (DOS), Treasury, Dept of, U.S. Copyright Office, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), White House Office

- Supported the Political Accountability and Transparency Act to (1) make it clear that personal use restrictions apply to leadership PACs and other political committees, (2) strengthen coordination rules between federal candidates and outside spending entities, and (3) require disclosure of the names of top donors to organizations paying for advertising that constitutes independent expenditures or electioneering communications, on the advertisement itself. - Supported H.R. 1414, the Restoring Integrity to America's Elections Act, to reduce the number of members of the Federal Election Commission from 6 to 5, to revise the method of selection and terms of service of members of the Commission, and to distribute the powers of the Commission between the Chair and the remaining members. - Supported the Honest Ads Act, S.5054, to enhance transparency and accountability for online political advertisements by requiring those who purchase and publish such ads to disclose information about the advertisements to the public. - Supported limiting fundraising by members of Congress while the House is in session. - Supported the TRUST in Congress Act, H.R. 336, a bill to require members of Congress to place their holdings in a qualified blind trust or divest. -Supported creating a way for members of Congress to vote electronically in periods of emergency, like a pandemic. -Supported Congress appropriating more funding to states through the Election Assistance Commission so they would have enough funds to hold safe and secure elections. -Supported the Stop Scam PACs Act, H.R. 8696, to prohibit political committees from misrepresenting their purpose. -Supported the Lobbying Disclosure Reform Act of 2020, to amend the Lobbying Disclosure Act and make lobbying more transparent and reporting more accurate. -Supported the Honest Elections and Campaign, No Gain Act, H.R. 2388, legislation requiring former lawmakers and others no longer seeking office to close their campaign accounts within two years, instead of living on as zombie campaigns. -Supported the Foreign Agent Disclaimer Enhancement Act, H.R. 337, legislation that would require that when an agent posts information in support of a foreign principal on an online platform, the agent must ensure that the information includes the required disclaimer. -Supported the bipartisan investigation by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. -Called on Senate leadership to provide necessary resources to increase Senate capacity and make the body more effective, efficient, and representative. -Supported the Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act of 2021, H.R. 2988, to clarify that no federal official may interfere with a federal employees ability to share information with Congress. -Supported increasing training and continuing education opportunities for Members, staff, and interns on Capitol Hill. -Requested that House of Representatives support offices be required to publish their current annual, semiannual, or quarterly reports on docs.house.gov within 180 days of their release. -Supported the Securing Inspector General Independence Act, S. 587, that would require any administration to provide a substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons to Congress before they could remove the inspector general. -Supported Senate modernization efforts to increase staff pay, create a Senate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office, give committee interns pay, and other initiatives to help Congress attract and retain staff. -Supported H.R.3076 - Postal Service Reform Act of 2021, which would eliminate unfair burdens on the United States Postal Service and reduce financial pressures that are contributing to service cuts and price hikes. -Called for greater accessibility and transparency of Senate bills and amendments -Supported the The Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act (S. 2838) to strengthen congressional oversight of the Executive Branch and provide much needed government transparency and accountability -Supported IG Independence and Empowerment Act (H.R. 2662) to insulate IGs from political interference and enhance the current presidential notification requirement for removing an inspector general, grant inspectors general temporary testimonial subpoena authority, and place reasonable limits on who can serve as an acting inspector general in the event of a vacancy -Called for improving public access to Congressional Research Service reports. -Supported Uncheck the Box Act (H.R. 3832) To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit the solicitation and acceptance of a recurring contribution or donation in a campaign for election for Federal office by any method which does not require the contributor or donor to give affirmative consent to making the contribution or donation on a recurring basis, and for other purposes. -Supported the Stop Foreign Funds in Elections Act (H.R. 5841) to prohibit contributions or donations by foreign nationals in connection with state or local ballot initiatives or referenda. -Supported Stop Foreign Interference with Ballot Measures Act (S.3136) to prohibit contributions or donations by foreign nationals in connection with state or local ballot initiatives or referenda. -Supported the Protecting Election Administration from Interference Act (S. 2626) to expand protections for election administrators, strengthen protections for Federal election records and election infrastructure and provide judicial review for election records by allowing the Department of Justice and candidates to bring lawsuits to ensure compliance with election record requirements. -Supported expanded federal protections for election workers and election officials from increasing threats and intimidation. -Supported the Ban Congressional Stock Trading Act (S. 3494) to ban the trading of individual stock by Members of Congress and their immediate family members while serving in office. -Called on the Committee on House Administration to direct the Office of the Clerk to examine how to make all public documents available online in a user-friendly format and provide a plan of action for review and implementation. -Called for greater protection of Congress oversight powers and objected to assertions that the Executive Branch does not have to comply fully with the reporting required by Congress in the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act. -Called for implementation of domestic democratic policies that strengthen democracy, fight corruption, and promote human rights. -Called on the Committee on House Appropriations to provide compensation to Legislative branch staff at an equivalent rate to that provided to employees of the Executive Branch as well as an annual cost-of-living adjustment. -Supported the Building Civic Bridges Act, H.R.6843, to establish a new, non-partisan office and grant program within AmeriCorps focused on building relationships across lines of difference (political ideology, race, religion, etc.). -Supported the Improving Government for America's Taxpayer Act, H.R. 7331, to support transparency around and implementation of Government Accountability Office recommendations on how to improve Congress. -Supported Fighting Foreign Influence Act, H.R.8106, to crack down on foreign influence seeking to corrupt U.S. elections, government officials, and think tanks. -Supported a variety of policy recommendations to prevent another attack on the U.S. Capitol and ensure peaceful transfers of power after presidential elections, including; updating the Electoral Count Act of 1887, improving presidential record preservation policies and enforcement of the Presidential Records Act, strengthening Congresss ability to enforce subpoenas, bolstering the independence of agency inspectors general, strengthening protections for Executive Branch whistleblowers, expanding protections for election records and election infrastructure, creating new safeguards to protect local election administrators from external pressure, and directing the Department of Justice to establish policies that would help combat improper interference in elections and the process of certifying elections. -Called for new funding streams that election administrators and their staffs can utilize specifically for threat monitoring, safety and doxxing training, privacy services and home security. -Called for enhanced information sharing and coordination about threats against election officials between federal, state and local law enforcement entities. -Supported clarifying and expanding existing federal protections against threats and intimidation to include authorized election agents, contractors, vendors, and volunteers. -Called for increased privacy protections for election workers and their families to protect against doxxing and harassment. -Supported S. 4920, Election Worker Protection Act of 2022, to provide grant funding and expand protections for election workers and officials. -Supported S. 4573, Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022, to revise the process of casting and counting electoral votes for presidential elections to prevent future constitutional crises. The bill also revises provisions related to the presidential transition process. -Supported the Kids Online Safety Act, S.3663, to set out requirements for covered social media platforms (i.e., applications or services that connect to the internet and are likely to be used by minors) to protect minors from online harms -Supported the Platform Accountability and Transparency Act, S. 5339, to require social media companies to provide vetted, independent researchers and the public with access to certain platform data. -Supported the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act, S. 1628, to extend to minors (ages 12-16) the privacy protections previously applicable only to children (ages 0-12) and to establish greater online privacy protections for children and minors. -Called for equal overtime protections for House staff to achieve parity with Executive Branch under the Fair Labor Standards Act. -Supported several reforms within the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act to address dangerous gaps in the laws that govern domestic deployment of the military and other active duty personnel. -Supported consideration and implementation of the January 6th Committee recommendations -Called on Congress to reauthorize and strengthen the Office of Congressional Ethics

Client expense: $10,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Executive Office of the President (EOP), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE