HRES 200119th CongressIn Committee

Expressing support for a comprehensive political reform plan.

Introduced: Mar 6, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

This is a non-binding House resolution expressing support for a comprehensive political reform plan. The proposed reforms focus on reducing money influence in politics, preventing conflicts of interest for lawmakers and federal judges, and reforming terms for both Members of Congress and Supreme Court Justices. Specifically, the plan would (1) bar Members and candidates from taking contributions from political action committees (PACs) and lobbyists and impose a lifetime lobbying ban; (2) prohibit Members from holding or trading individual stocks during their tenure and require investments to be placed in blind trusts (including for the Member’s spouse or dependent child) until 180 days after leaving office; (3) establish 12-year term limits for Members of Congress; (4) require a binding ethics code for Supreme Court Justices; and (5) implement 18-year term limits and regular appointments for Supreme Court Justices. The resolution signals support for these reforms and references related bills, but does not itself create new law. If pursued, implementing these changes would require future legislation and, for some items, constitutional amendments.

Key Points

1Prohibitions and bans on political influence
2- Prohibits all Members of Congress and those running for House or Senate seats from accepting contributions from political action committees and lobbyists.
3- Imposes a lifetime lobbying ban on Members of Congress.
4Stock trading and investments
5- Bans Members of Congress from holding and trading individual stocks during tenure.
6- Requires Members (and their spouses and dependent children) to place certain investments into a qualified blind trust until 180 days after the end of tenure.
7Term limits for Congress
8- Establishes 12-year term limits for Members of Congress.
9Supreme Court ethics and terms
10- Institutes a binding code of ethics for Supreme Court Justices.
11- Implements 18-year term limits and regular appointments for Supreme Court Justices.
12Nature and process
13- The measure is a House resolution expressing support for these concepts; it is not itself legislation.
14- It was introduced in the 119th Congress and referred to the Judiciary Committee and the Committee on House Administration for consideration of relevant provisions.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Members of Congress and candidates for Congress (through new fundraising restrictions, stock trading rules, and term limits).- Supreme Court Justices (through ethics code and 18-year term limits/appointment cycle).Secondary group/area affected- Political donors, lobbyists, and political action committees (through bans and restrictions on contributions).- Family members of Members (spouse and dependent children, who would be affected by blind-trust investment requirements).Additional impacts- Public trust and government transparency: aims to reduce conflicts of interest and curb perceived corruption.- Legal feasibility: several provisions would require substantial legal changes, including potential constitutional amendments (e.g., congressional term limits and Supreme Court term limits) or new statutory frameworks for ethics and blind-trust rules.- Political and practical considerations: implementing these reforms could shift power dynamics, influence incumbency advantage, and affect the functioning of Congress and the judiciary; substantial policy, enforcement, and compliance implications would follow if enacted.

Generated by gpt-5-nano on Nov 18, 2025