Citizen Legislature Anti-Corruption Reform of Congress Act or the CLEAN Congress Act This bill (1) requires bills, orders, resolutions, or votes submitted by Congress to the President to include only one subject that is clearly and descriptively expressed in the measure's title; and (2) makes ineffective any provision of law that excludes its application to a Member of Congress or to an employee in a Member's office.
Impact
If enacted, HB 155 would likely reform the way Congress drafts and presents legislation. By enforcing a single subject rule, the bill aims to ensure that legislators have a more focused approach when addressing issues, potentially leading to a more deliberate and transparent legislative process. This legislative change could decrease instances of political maneuvering that often accompany multi-subject bills, thereby giving citizens a clearer understanding of what specific proposals entail and how they may impact them directly.
Summary
House Bill 155, also known as the Citizen Legislature Anti-Corruption Reform of Congress Act or the CLEAN Congress Act, aims to prohibit Congress from presenting bills that encompass multiple subjects. The bill mandates that each bill, order, resolution, or vote submitted to the President must focus solely on one specific subject, which should be clearly articulated in the title of the measure. This mechanism is expected to enhance legislative clarity and integrity, reducing the potential for legislative 'Christmas tree' bills that bundle unrelated measures together, thus complicating the legislative process.
Contention
The bill also addresses the issue of privileges for members of Congress by stating that any laws containing exceptions for congressional members’ applications will be deemed ineffective. This aspect of HB 155 is particularly contentious, as it challenges longstanding norms regarding the legal applications that Congress members might enjoy, and it seeks to remove any preferential treatment in legislative practices. Advocates argue that this could enhance accountability and public trust in Congress, while opponents may express concerns about whether such measures could hinder the operational effectiveness of congressional duties.
Citizen Legislature Anti-Corruption Reform of Congress Act or the CLEAN Congress Act This bill (1) requires bills, orders, resolutions, or votes submitted by Congress to the President to include only one subject that is clearly and descriptively expressed in the measure's title; and (2) makes ineffective any provision of law that excludes its application to a Member of Congress or to an employee in a Member's office.
No Pay Raise for Congress Act This bill cancels the automatic adjustment to the pay of Members of Congress that is based on the employment cost index if the Congressional Budget Office determines that there was a federal budget deficit in the last fiscal year.
Ban Congressmen Lobbyists Act This bill prohibits Members of Congress from lobbying Congress or federal agencies at any point after leaving office. Currently, Senators are prohibited from lobbying Congress for two years after leaving office. Members of the House of Representatives are prohibited from lobbying Congress for one year after leaving office. The bill applies to any person who is a Member of Congress during the 118th Congress or any succeeding Congress.
Lead by Example Act of 2023 This bill provides that, beginning January 3, 2025, the only health care plan the federal government may make available to Members of Congress and congressional staff shall be health care provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). By September 15, 2023, the VA and the Office of Personnel Management shall jointly submit to Congress a plan to carry out this bill, including recommendations for any necessary legislative actions.
Urges Congress to provide for joint session at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in honor of semiquincentennial of Declaration of Independence.
Removal of the Highway Plan and Building Restriction Line from Lot 9 in Square 5914 along the West Side of Congress Street, S.E., S.O. 22-01642, Act of 2024
Urging the Congress of the United States to propose and submit to the states for ratification a federal balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States and, in the event that Congress does not submit such an amendment on or before December 31, 2011, applying to Congress to call a convention for the specific and exclusive purpose of proposing an amendment to that constitution to provide, in the absence of a national emergency and on a two-thirds vote of Congress, for a federal balanced budget and requesting that the legislatures of each of the several states that compose the United States apply to Congress to call a convention to propose such an amendment.
A resolution recognizing the expiration of the Equal Rights Amendment proposed by Congress in March 1972, and observing that Congress has no authority to modify a resolution proposing a constitutional amendment after the amendment has been submitted to the States or after the amendment has expired.