House of Representatives
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Dennis Kucinich
U.S. House: Representative
Democratic
Next Election Year: 2010
Education:
MA, Speech Communications, Case Western Reserve University, 1974
BA, Speech Communications, Case Western Reserve University, 1973
Profession:
Consultant, Publicly Owned Electric Systems, 1979-present
President, Marketing and Communications Firm, 1985-1995
Instructor, Communications and Political Science, Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University, 1991-1994
Professor, Political Science, Case Western Reserve University, 1982-1992
Communications Entrepreneur, Software and Public Relations, 1982-1992
Clerk of Courts, Cleveland Municipal Court, 1976-1977
Sportswriter
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(2008) HR 6304 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments
Outcome: Bill Passed (293/129)
Summary: -Prohibits the targeting of any United States persons who are reasonably believed to be located outside of the United States without the approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (Sec. 101).
-Prohibits the targeting of any person located outside of the United States with the intention of gaining information about a person located within the United States (Sec. 101).
-Prohibits the acquisition of any communications in which the sender and all recipients are reasonably believed to be within the United States (Sec. 101).
-Requires the Attorney General and the Director of National Security to provide the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court with a written certification and any supporting affidavit prior to the employment of electronic surveillance (Sec. 101).
-Allows the authorization of foreign surveillance under "emergency" or time-limited circumstances without preliminary Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court approval provided that relevant applications or certifications are presented to the Court no later than 7 days after the authorization of such surveillance (Sec 101).
-Releases electronic communication providers from liability with regards to civil action that may be brought up in any court due to assistance provided to the government in obtaining electronic surveillance if such assistance was authorized by the President before January 17, 2007 or if such assistance was the subject of written directions from the Attorney General or heads of the intelligence community indicating that the activity was lawful (Sec. 201).
-Mandates that the certification for reauthorization of surveillance orders already in effect must be submitted to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court at least 30 days prior to the expiration of the previous authorization (Sec. 101).
-Requires the Inspectors General of the Department of Justice, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the National Security Agency, the Department of Defense, and the Inspector General of any intelligence agency that participated in the President's Surveillance Program to submit a comprehensive report to congress within one year of the enactment of this legislation regarding oversight authority, the responsibility of each such Inspector General, and information regarding the implementation and use of the program (Sec. 301). |
Kucinich's Vote
N |
(2008) HR 6074 Prohibiting Foreign States or Associations from Forming a Group to Control Oil
Outcome: Bill Passed (324/84)
Summary: -Amends the Sherman Act to make it illegal for foreign states to enter into agreements with any group or person that would limit the production, set prices, or restrict the trade of oil, natural gas, or any other petroleum product (Sec. 102).
-Declares that any foreign state violating this act is not immune under the doctrine of sovereign immunity from being tried or convicted in a US court of law (Sec. 102, 103).
-Establishes a Petroleum Industry Antitrust Task Force within the Department of Justice to investigate and enforce petroleum industry issues such as price gouging, restricting refinery capacity, anticompetitive market control, and unilateral actions to withhold the supply of petroleum products to inflate prices (Sec. 201). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2008) HR 5719 Amending Tax Code Provisions and IRS Practices
Outcome: Bill Passed (238/179)
Summary: -Repeals the authority of the IRS to enter into debt collection contracts with private organizations (Sec. 14).
-Requires that amounts paid out of a health savings account must be substantiated in order to be exempt from income tax (Sec. 17).
-Requires that foreign persons or companies working under a U.S. government contract be treated as U.S. employers for tax purposes (Sec. 18).
-Removes cellular phones from the list of items an employee must include as income if the employee utilizes them for personal use (Sec. 3).
-Delays the application of a law requiring a withholding of three percent from the payment of any U.S. government contract from December 31, 2010 to December 31, 2011 (Sec. 4).
-Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to notify a taxpayer of any suspected identity theft or criminal charges of identity theft (Sec. 13).
-Requires that, in cases where a taxpayer may be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit but has not previously filed for it, the Secretary of the Treasury must notify the taxpayer that they may be eligible (Sec. 8). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2008) HR 3773 Electronic Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Review Act
Outcome: Concurrence Vote Passed (213/197)
Summary: -Requires that the guidelines adopted by the Attorney General in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence related to compliance with the limitations on intelligence targeting authorizations shall be submitted to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, as well as the Congressional intelligence and judiciary committees (Sec. 101).
-Allows the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence to direct electronic communication service providers to provide the government with assistance in acquiring intelligence as authorized in accordance with the provisions of this bill and releases electronic communication service providers from any liability resulting from compliance with a such a directive (Sec. 101).
-Mandates that the Attorney General provide semiannual reports to the Congressional intelligence and judiciary committees regarding the implementation of provisions of this bill (Sec. 101).
-Specifies that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court shall have authority to review and approve applications and enter orders to target "United States persons" who are reasonably believed to be located outside of the United States for intelligence acquisition (Sec. 101).
-Requires the Inspectors General of the Department of Justice, the Office of the National Director of Intelligence, the National Security Agency, and other elements of the intelligence community to review the intelligence activities involving communications that were authorized at any time between September 11, 2001 and January 17, 2007 (Sec. 110).
-Mandates that the Attorney General provide any relevant request or directive to the court in any civil case alleging that a person aided an element of the intelligence community as a result of such a directive or request during the time period from September 11, 2001, to January 17, 2007 (Sec. 201).
-Establishes the Commission on Warrantless Electronic Surveillance Activities within the legislative branch, to be composed of five members appointed jointly by the Senate Majority Leader and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and four members appointed jointly by the Minority Leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and which will be charged with evaluating the legal justification for activities related to intelligence collection that occurred between September 11, 2001, and January 17, 2007 (Sec. 301).
-Note: Under United States Code (50 U.S.C. 1801) a "United States person" is defined as "a citizen of the United States, an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence (as defined in section 1101 (a)(20) of title 8), an unincorporated association a substantial number of members of which are citizens of the United States or aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residence, or a corporation which is incorporated in the United States, but does not include a corporation or an association which is a foreign power, as defined in subsection (a)(1), (2), or (3) of this section." |
Kucinich's Vote
N |
(2008) HR 2082 Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008
Outcome: Veto Override Failed (225/188)
Summary: - Authorizes classified dollar amounts to be appropriated for fiscal year 2008 for intelligence and intelligence-related activities for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, the Department of the Air Force, the Coast Guard, the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Energy, the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the National Reconnaissance Office, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the Department of Homeland Security (Sec. 101).
- Requires $39.00 million to be transferred from the Director of National Intelligence to the Attorney General for the National Drug Intelligence Center (Sec. 104).
- Authorizes $262.50 million for the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability Fund (Sec. 201).
- Directs the Director of National Intelligence to implement a multi-level security clearance system for persons proficient in foreign languages or with cultural, linguistic, or other subject matter expertise "critical to national security," and to annually report to Congress regarding the foreign language proficiency of the intelligence community (Sec. 303, Sec. 414).
- Requires the Director of National Intelligence to submit a report to Congress no later than March 31, 2008, regarding the use and impact of private contractors in the intelligence community, as well as the accountability mechanisms that govern their performance (Sec. 307).
- Requires the Director of National Intelligence to submit a report to Congress no later than March 31, 2008, outlining plans to increase the recruiting, hiring, and retaining of diverse candidates (Sec. 309).
- Directs the Director of National Intelligence to conduct vulnerability assessments for major systems, which are defined as significant programs of the intelligence community with projected total development and procurement costs exceeding $500.00 million (Sec. 311).
- Directs the Director of National Intelligence to present annual reports to Congress regarding the acquisition of any major systems and to notify Congress within 60 days if development costs for any programs significantly exceed the baseline costs (Sec. 313, Sec. 314).
- Increases the time of potential imprisonment for disclosing the identity of undercover intelligence officers and agents from 10 to 15 years (Sec. 324).
- Requires the Director of National Intelligence to report to Congress within 45 days after the date of the enactment of this bill regarding the detention and interrogation methods used by the intelligence community (Sec. 326).
- Mandates that no person in the custody or within the control of an element of the intelligence community, regardless of that individual's physical location or nationality, shall be "subject to any treatment or technique of interrogation not authorized by the United States Army Field Manual on Human Intelligence Collector Operations" (Sec. 327).
- Requires all members of the Congressional intelligence committees to be fully updated on intelligence regarding the Israeli military action in Syria on September 6, 2007, before more than 30 percent of authorized appropriations may be expended (Sec. 328).
- Requires the Director of National Intelligence to report to Congress regarding the nuclear intentions and capabilities of Iran and North Korea (Sec. 407).
- Establishes an Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community to objectively investigate and audit the conduct of the intelligence community (Sec. 413). |
Kucinich's Vote
N |
(2008) H Res 982 Contempt Charges
Outcome: Resolution Passed (223/32)
Summary: |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2007) HR 2082 Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008
Outcome: Conference Report Adopted (222/199)
Summary: - Authorizes classified dollar amounts to be appropriated for fiscal year 2008 for intelligence and intelligence-related activities for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, the Department of the Air Force, the Coast Guard, the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Energy, the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the National Reconnaissance Office, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the Department of Homeland Security (Sec. 101).
- Requires $39.00 million to be transferred from the Director of National Intelligence to the Attorney General for the National Drug Intelligence Center (Sec. 104).
- Authorizes $262.50 million for the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability Fund (Sec. 201).
- Directs the Director of National Intelligence to implement a multi-level security clearance system for persons proficient in foreign languages or with cultural, linguistic, or other subject matter expertise "critical to national security," and to annually report to Congress regarding the foreign language proficiency of the intelligence community (Sec. 303, Sec. 414).
- Requires the Director of National Intelligence to submit a report to Congress no later than March 31, 2008, regarding the use and impact of private contractors in the intelligence community, as well as the accountability mechanisms that govern their performance (Sec. 307).
- Requires the Director of National Intelligence to submit a report to Congress no later than March 31, 2008, outlining plans to increase the recruiting, hiring, and retaining of diverse candidates (Sec. 309).
- Directs the Director of National Intelligence to conduct vulnerability assessments for major systems, which are defined as significant programs of the intelligence community with projected total development and procurement costs exceeding $500.00 million (Sec. 311).
- Directs the Director of National Intelligence to present annual reports to Congress regarding the acquisition of any major systems and to notify Congress within 60 days if development costs for any programs significantly exceed the baseline costs (Sec. 313, Sec. 314).
- Increases the time of potential imprisonment for disclosing the identity of undercover intelligence officers and agents from 10 to 15 years (Sec. 324).
- Requires the Director of National Intelligence to report to Congress within 45 days after the date of the enactment of this bill regarding the detention and interrogation methods used by the intelligence community (Sec. 326).
- Mandates that no person in the custody or within the control of an element of the intelligence community, regardless of that individual's physical location or nationality, shall be "subject to any treatment or technique of interrogation not authorized by the United States Army Field Manual on Human Intelligence Collector Operations" (Sec. 327).
- Requires all members of the Congressional intelligence committees to be fully updated on intelligence regarding the Israeli military action in Syria on September 6, 2007, before more than 30 percent of authorized appropriations may be expended (Sec. 328).
- Requires the Director of National Intelligence to report to Congress regarding the nuclear intentions and capabilities of Iran and North Korea (Sec. 407).
- Establishes an Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community to objectively investigate and audit the conduct of the intelligence community (Sec. 413). |
Kucinich's Vote
N |
(2007) HR 3773 Electronic Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Review Act
Outcome: Bill Passed (227/189)
Summary: -States that a court order is not necessary for electronic surveillance of any communications between persons who are not known to be United States persons and who are reasonably believed to be outside of the United States (Sec. 2).
-Requires the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence to apply to the court established under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) for a court order to conduct surveillance for up to a year on the communications of a non-United States person who is reasonably believed to be outside the of United States and who may be communicating with persons inside the United States (Sec. 3).
-States that the application for a court order from the court established under FISA is not required to identify specific places of surveillance (Sec. 3).
-Allows that in emergency situations, the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence to authorize surveillance for up to 45 days of non-United States persons who are reasonably believed to be outside of the United States and who may be communicating with someone inside the United States, but that within seven days, an application must be filed for approval from the court established under FISA (Sec. 4).
-Requires that within seven days of an application to the court established under FISA, the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General must submit to Congress a copy of the application and a copy of the court order if one is granted (Sec. 5).
-Prohibits the disclosure of information obtained from surveillance that would identify a United States person unless such information is necessary to understand the foreign intelligence collected or to protect the national security of the United States or members of the Armed Forces (Sec. 6).
-States that FISA is the only means by which foreign electronic surveillance may be conducted (Sec. 9).
-States that the Attorney General may authorize surveillance without a court order for up to 15 days following a declaration of war by Congress if Congress specifically authorizes such surveillance without an order or if Congress is unable to convene because of an attack against the United States (Sec. 10).
-States that the government must inform the communications service providers used to conduct surveillance that the requirements of this law have been met (Sec. 19).
-Note: Under United States Code (50 U.S.C. 1801) a "United States Person" is defined as "a citizen of the United States, an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence (as defined in section 1101 (a)(20) of title 8), an unincorporated association a substantial number of members of which are citizens of the United States or aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residence, or a corporation which is incorporated in the United States, but does not include a corporation or an association which is a foreign power, as defined in subsection (a)(1), (2), or (3) of this section." |
Kucinich's Vote
- |
(2007) HR 2102 Reporter's Source Confidentiality Guidelines
Outcome: Bill Passed (398/21)
Summary: -Defines a communications service provider as an entity "that transmits information of the customer's choosing by electronic means," including telecommunications carriers, interactive computer service providers, and information service providers (Sec. 4).
-Prohibits any federal entity or communications service provider from requiring a reporter to disclose information or testimony in a criminal investigation unless a court determines that the entity has exhausted other alternative sources and that reasonable grounds exist to believe a crime has been committed (Sec. 2[a], Sec. 3[a]).
-Prohibits any federal entity or communications service provider from requiring a reporter to disclose the identity of a source unless all alternative sources have been exhausted and such identification is needed to prevent a terror attack or other significant and specified harm to national security, to prevent death or bodily harm, to determine the identity of someone who has leaked a trade secret, to determine the identity of someone who has leaked individually identifiable health information or other nonpublic personal information, or to determine in a criminal investigation the identity of a person who has leaked classified information that will cause significant harm to national security (Sec. 2[a(3)], Sec. 3[a]).
-Requires that any information or testimony a reporter is required to disclose shall be limited to prevent the disclosure of nonessential information (Sec. 2[c], Sec. 3[a]).
-States that a reporter's personal witnessing of an alleged crime and audio or visual recording of an alleged crime are not covered by these protections (Sec. 2[e], Sec. 3[a]).
-Provides journalists the opportunity to appear before the court before writings, recordings, or photographs sought by a communications service provider are compelled to be disclosed (Sec. 3[b]).
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Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2007) HR 2740 Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA) Expansion and Enforcement Act of 2007
Outcome: Bill Passed (389/30)
Summary: -Adds contractors of any department or agency of the United States working in or near an area where U.S. forces are executing a contingency operation to the list of persons who may be held criminally liable by the United States for certain crimes outside of U.S. borders (Sec. 2 [a]).
-Requires the Department of Justice to submit a report to Congress detailing the number of allegations received, the number of investigations opened, the number of criminal cases opened, and the number and results of cases that are closed (Sec. 2 [b]).
-Requires the FBI to establish Theater Investigative Units to examine possible incidents of criminal wrongdoing and provide the results of their examinations to the Attorney General for possible further action (Sec. 3).
-Requires the Director of the FBI to annually submit a report to Congress detailing the number of reports received concerning possible criminal wrongdoings or fatalities attributed to U.S. contractors, the number of cases referred to the Attorney General, and any recommended changes to the law that the FBI Director deems necessary to fulfill these duties of the office (Sec. 3 [e]). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2007) S 214 United States Attorneys Act of 2007
Outcome: Bill Passed (306/114)
Summary: -Allows a person appointed as U.S. attorney to serve until the qualification of a U.S attorney for such district appointed by the President, or the expiration of 120 days after the appointment by the Attorney General, whichever is earlier (Sec. 2).
-Allows the district court for such district to appoint a U.S. attorney to serve until the vacancy is filled, if an appointment expires (Sec. 2). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2007) HR 2264 Preventing the Organization of Petroleum Export Groups
Outcome: Bill Passed (345/72)
Summary: -Amends the Sherman Act to make it illegal for foreign states to enter into agreements with any group or person that would limit the production, set prices, or restrict the trade of oil, natural gas, or any other petroleum product.
-Declares that any foreign state violating this act is not immune under the doctrine of sovereign immunity from being tried or convicted in a US court of law. |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2007) HR 1592 Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007
Outcome: Bill Passed (237/180)
Summary: -Allows the Attorney General to provide assistance for the criminal investigation of crimes that are considered a felony and are motivated by prejudice based on the perceived or actual race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim (Sec. 3).
-Requires that anyone who commits a crime due to actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability can be sentenced to no more than 10 years, unless kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse, attempted aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill is involved (Sec. 6). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
(2007) HR 985 Whistleblower Protection Act of 2007
Outcome: Bill Passed (331/94)
Summary: -Protects disclosures by a federal employee or applicant that are believed to be credible evidence of waste, abuse, gross mismanagement, or substantial and specific danger to public health or safety without restriction as to time, place, form, motive, context, or prior disclosure (Sec. 2).
-Defines "disclosure" as a formal or informal communication, not including a communication concerning policy decisions that lawfully exercise discretionary authority unless the employee providing the disclosure reasonably believes that the disclosure evidences: (1) any violation of law; or (2) mismanagement, waste, abuse of authority, or a danger to the public. (Sec. 3).
-Establishes a legal standard for determining whether a whistleblower has a reasonable belief that a disclosure evidences governmental waste, fraud, or abuse, or a violation of the law. (Sec. 4).
-Gives the President the authority to exclude certain agencies engaged in the conduct of foreign intelligence or counterintelligence activities from whistleblower protections if such exclusion is made prior to any personnel action against the whistleblower. (Sec. 6).
-Gives the Merit Systems Protection Board the authority to impose disciplinary action for prohibited personnel practices. (Sec. 9).
-States that an employee of a protected agency may not be discharged, demoted, or discriminated against as a reprisal for making a disclosure of covered information to an authorized Member of Congress, authorized executive official, or the Inspector General of the covered agency. (Sec. 10).
-Adds to the definition of "abuse of authority": (1) actions that compromise the validity of federally funded research or analysis; and (2) the dissemination of false or misleading scientific, medical, or technical information (Sec. 13). |
Kucinich's Vote
Y |
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