[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 200 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 200
Expressing support for a comprehensive political reform plan.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 6, 2025
Mr. Khanna submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on
House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for a comprehensive political reform plan.
Whereas public trust in the Government has been declining for decades, with
nearly 70 percent of Americans indicating distrust in the Government
each year since 2007;
Whereas demand for major Government reform has increased to 59 percent of
Americans in 2023;
Whereas the lack of congressional term limits allows for a steep incumbency
advantage--to the extent that each year since 1982, over 75 percent of
incumbents in the House and the Senate have won their reelections--
preventing true representation and democracy for constituents;
Whereas 5 out of 6 Americans favor a constitutional amendment to impose term
limits on Members of Congress;
Whereas congressional term limits would limit the entrenchment of special
interests and the concentration of power within the elected bodies, and
allow for a more democratic, representative, and diverse Congress;
Whereas Members of Congress should be responsive to the interests of their
constituents, rather than the interests of political action committees
and wealthy political donors;
Whereas 77 percent of the public agrees that there should be limits on the
amount of money individuals and organizations can donate to political
campaigns;
Whereas banning congressional candidates from accepting campaign contributions
from political action committees would give American voters stronger
voices in our democracy;
Whereas Members of Congress should not be able to hold, unless in a blind trust,
and trade stocks while retaining access to confidential information or
crafting policies, as this leads to conflicts of interest, corruption,
and even the possibility of insider trading;
Whereas over 80 percent of Americans across political parties support a ban on
Members of Congress holding and trading stocks;
Whereas banning stock trading by requiring Members of Congress to place any
investments in blind trusts effectively bans Members of Congress from
trading individual stocks, and would prevent corruption;
Whereas over half of the lawmakers who left office in 2019 leveraged their
connections on Capitol Hill to land high-paying, influence-peddling
roles in the lobbying industry, creating countless possibilities for
conflicts of interest;
Whereas almost 1 in 3 Americans believe Members of Congress should never be
allowed to lobby their former colleagues, with 65 percent supporting a
5-year-lobbying ban at minimum;
Whereas a lifetime ban on lobbying for Members of Congress will reduce the
outsized influence that special interests have on policymaking, and will
increase transparency and accountability for Americans;
Whereas recent investigations into the Supreme Court have uncovered countless
instances of Justices filing deficient financial disclosures, receiving
extravagant gifts, misusing staff, and otherwise prioritizing personal
gains over behavior fitting for members serving on the Nation's highest
Court;
Whereas confidence in the Supreme Court reached a historic low in 2022, dropping
to just 25 percent of American voters;
Whereas an enforceable code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices would increase
transparency, restore faith in the Court, and prevent conflicts of
interest;
Whereas though originally intended to ensure independence and stability,
lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court enshrine political bias,
inflexibility, and a lack of accountability;
Whereas 68 percent of Americans believe Supreme Court Justices should be subject
to term limits;
Whereas 18-year term limits and regular appointments for Supreme Court Justices
will depoliticize, rebalance, and restore judicial independence to the
Court;
Whereas there are existing legislative efforts to address each of these issues;
Whereas H.R. 9134, introduced in the 117th Congress, would prohibit Members of
Congress and those running for House or Senate seats from accepting
contributions from political action committees;
Whereas multiple bills would institute a lifetime lobbying ban on Members of
Congress;
Whereas multiple bills, including H.R. 345, introduced in the 118th Congress,
would ban Members of Congress from holding and trading individual stocks
during the Member's tenure;
Whereas multiple bills, including H.J. Res.4, introduced in the 116th Congress,
would establish 12-year term limits for Members of Congress;
Whereas multiple bills, including H.R. 4423, introduced in the 118th Congress,
would institute 18-year Supreme Court Term Limits and regular
appointments; and
Whereas multiple bills, including H.R. 3973, introduced in the 118th Congress,
would establish a Supreme Court Code of Ethics: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes the
importance of a comprehensive plan for political reform which--
(1) prohibits all Members of Congress and those running for
a House or Senate seat from accepting contributions from
political action committees and lobbyists, and imposes a
lifetime lobbying ban on Members of Congress;
(2) bans Members of Congress from holding and trading
individual stocks during the Member's tenure and requires
Members of Congress, as well as any spouse or dependent child
of a Member, to place specified investments into a qualified
blind trust until 180 days after the end of their tenure;
(3) establishes 12-year term limits for Members of
Congress;
(4) institutes a binding code of ethics for Supreme Court
Justices; and
(5) implements 18-year term limits and regular appointments
for Supreme Court Justices.
<all>