Notable Legislations

• 1789
• Provided clear guidelines for the settlement of new territories and provided a path to statehood.

• 1883
• Eliminated the spoils system of patronage in selection for government jobs and set up an exam-based merit system for qualified candidates.

• 1896
• Provided Congress with the authority to regulate and break up monopolies.

• 1939
• Permitted government employees to vote in government elections but forbade them from participating in partisan politics.

• 1967
• The beginning of a series of acts to regulate impacts on the environment.

• 1971-1974
• Laws created the Federal Election Commission and required disclosures of contributions and expenditures and limitations on contributions and presidential election expenditures.

• 1973
• Limited President's power to use troops overseas in hostilities, put a time limit on use and gave Congress final power to withdraw troops.

• 1974
• Established Congressional budget committees and the Congressional Budget Office, and gave Congress the power to prevent the president from refusing to fund Congressional initiatives.

• 1974
• Declassified government documents for public use.

• 1985
• Set budget reduction targets to balance budget.
• Failed to eliminate loopholes.

• 1917-1918
• Severely curtailed the civil liberties of Americans during wartime and greatly increased the power of the federal government in controlling public activity.

Stringently limited the number of immigrants admitted into the United States and set a quota for entry.

• 1964
• Title II banned discrimination in public places on the basis of race, color, national origin, or religion.
• Title VII prohibited employment discrimination based on gender.

• 1965
• Suspended literacy tests, empowered federal officials to register voters, prohibited states from changing voting procedures without federal permission.

• 1967
• Banned age discrimination in jobs unless age is related to job performance.

• 1968
• Banned housing discrimination based on race.

• 1972
• Prohibited gender discrimination in federally funded education programs.

• 1990
• Protected civil liberties of disabled Americans mandated
• reasonable accomodations" to public facility use.

• 1993
• Also known as the Motor Voter Act
• Allowed people to register to beote when applying for driver's licenses.

• 2001
• In response to 911, Congress granted broad police authority to federal, state, and local government to interdict, prosecute, and convict suspected terrorists.

• 1933-1939
• Legislation that expanded the role of government in the economy and society.
• Created entities like Social Security, Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

• 1996
• The Welfare Reform Act signaled a change in the role of the federal government in the relationship with the states.
• Sought to increase the role of personal responsibility in welfare recipients and shifted many reponsibilities for welfare provision to state governments.

• 2002
• Often known as the McCain-Feingold Bill.
• Banned soft-money contributions to national political parties and raised had money limits to $2,000