[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 938 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 938

     Expressing support for a comprehensive political reform plan.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 14, 2023

 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;
            (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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