A bill to change the effective date for the internet publication of certain information to prevent harm to the national security or endangering the military officers and civilian employees to whom the publication requirement applies, and for other purposes.
Public Law 112-178 · S. 3625 · 112th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Sep 28, 2012 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Susan Collins
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Postpones until December 8, 2012, the requirement under the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012 (STOCK Act) that the Secretary of the Senate, the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate, and the Clerk of the House of Representatives ensure that financial disclosure forms filed by congressional officers and employees be made available to the public on the respective official Senate and House websites within 30 days after filing.
Postpones until the same date the requirement that the President ensure that financial disclosure forms filed by executive branch employees are publicly available on appropriate official websites of executive branch agencies within such period.
Excludes from these effective date postponements, however, the President, Vice President, Members of Congress, candidates for Congress, and any officer occupying a position listed under Level I and Level II of the Executive Schedule having been nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. (Thus maintains September 30, 2012, as the effective date of the requirement that such individuals make their financial disclosure forms available to the public.)
Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to contract with the National Academy of Public Administration to study issues raised by the website publication of financial disclosure forms. Requires the Academy to report and make recommendations to Congress and the President for ways to avoid or mitigate the risks identified in its study.
Postpones until January 1, 2013, the requirement that Members of Congress and congressional officers and employees file financial periodic transaction reports (PTRs) with the Clerk of the House that include information on the sources of income of their spouses or children, but only with respect to any transaction exceeding $1,000 in stocks, bonds, commodities futures, and other forms of securities.
Postpones until the same date also the PTRs requirements for certain individuals in the executive branch. Lists these individuals as: (1) the President; (2) the Vice President; (3) executive officers or employees, including certain special government employees and members of a uniformed service; (4) appointed administrative law judges; (5) executive branch employees in positions excepted from the competitive service because of their confidential or policymaking character (except those excluded from such exception by the Director of the Office of Government Ethics [OGE]); (6) the Postmaster General, the Deputy Postmaster General, each Governor of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service, and certain U.S. Postal Service officers or employees; (7) the OGE Director and each designated agency ethics official; and (8) civilian employees of the Executive Office of the President (other than a special government employee) appointed by the President.
Committees
The record shows no committee referral for this bill.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 6634 · became Public Law 112-207Related bill
To change the effective date for the Internet publication of certain financial disclosure forms.
S. 3510 · became Public Law 112-173Related bill
A bill to prevent harm to the national security or endangering the military officers and civilian employees to whom internet publication of certain information applies, and for other purposes.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 12 actions.
- Sep 28, 2012Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 112-178.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Lewis (CA) asked unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table and consider.
- FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
- Sep 25, 2012FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- Sep 24, 2012FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Sep 22, 2012FloorFloor · Introduced in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.