H.R.470 - Roadmap to Congressional Reform Act

Rep. Kevin Hern, a Republican from Oklahoma's first congressional district, introduced the H.R. 470 - Roadmap to Congressional Reform Act to Congress on January 25, 2021. Unfortunately, the project has not been debated; it has been buried without ever being brought before a congressional committee for review, discussion, and eventual approval.

However, the Bill is still on the table and might be passed at any moment. It is up to the citizens, both in the primaries and when electing their representatives, to demand their preferred candidates to speak clearly in favor of looking into this law and passing it with whatever amendments might be necessary as a sine qua non condition of the vote that the citizen, his family, and his friends will cast in his favor.

This bill, duly presented to Congress, aspires to establish certain strict measures that the members of the federal House of Representatives must attend to and comply with:

1. The bill withholds the salaries of Members of a chamber that has not agreed to a budget resolution and establishes a point of order in the House of Representatives against considering legislation that contains a congressional earmark, limited tax benefit, or limited tariff benefit.
2. The bill prohibits a recess or adjournment if Congress has not adopted a concurrent resolution on the budget or passed the regular appropriations bills for the next fiscal year by specified dates. A Member may not use any amount for official travel while this prohibition applies.
3. The bill also allows future Members of the House of Representatives to opt-out of the Federal Employees Retirement System, and it permits Members of Congress who opt out to continue to participate in the Thrift Savings Plan.
4. Additionally, the bill requires a measure introduced in either chamber to cite the specific powers granted to Congress in the Constitution to enact the measure. Further, a measure must include the text of the current law being amended and show the modifications to that law.
5. The bill withholds one day's pay from a Representative's compensation for each day the Representative uses a designated proxy to cast a vote or record their presence.
6. Lastly, the bill imposes a permanent ban on lobbying contacts by a former Member of Congress or a former elected officer of the House or Senate.

Evidently, these are rational measures to curb Legislative Power abuses and corruption. Evidently, they have remained buried since the Congress majority prefers to hold on to their sinecures.

It is up to the voters to get in touch with their candidates to impose this requirement in support of H.R.470 so that candidates for Congress may rely on their support in the forthcoming elections if they comply with voters' wishes.

A brief letter, an email, or a phone call will do. Voters may be certain that candidates will comply if they get enough messages requiring this condition in order to get elected.