119-hres200

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 200 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

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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.
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