Campaign Reform and Accountability Reform

  1. Bureaucracy Reduction & Restructuring

Legislative Actions:

•	Sunset Provision for Agencies: Enact a law mandating all federal agencies undergo periodic review by Congress. Those that fail to justify their continued existence, in terms of efficiency and necessity, would be phased out.
•	Executive Branch Streamlining: Require all agencies and departments within the executive branch to merge redundant offices, especially those with overlapping missions (e.g., in environmental, health, and regulatory agencies).
•	Delegation of Powers to States: Gradually transfer certain responsibilities from federal to state governments, encouraging states to manage their own programs more efficiently. Block grants could be used for education, healthcare, and welfare, giving localities more control.
•	Budget Caps on Bureaucracy: Cap the annual growth rate of federal agency budgets to ensure they remain lean and focused. Tie agency budgets to performance metrics.

Constitutional Amendment Proposal:

•	Amendment to Limit Bureaucracy: Introduce a constitutional amendment restricting the size of the federal bureaucracy. Agencies can only grow under emergency provisions ratified by Congress with a supermajority vote.
  1. Lobbying Prohibition

Legislative Actions:

•	Ban on Lobbying: Enact legislation banning any form of paid lobbying for federal and state officials. Violations would result in severe penalties, including prison time for violators.
•	Public Disclosure of Meetings: Require any meeting between government officials and private entities (including businesses) to be publicly disclosed within 48 hours. Minutes from meetings must also be made public.
•	End Political Action Committees (PACs): Legislation should abolish PACs, Super PACs, and dark money groups. Election funding would come from small-dollar contributions or government subsidies.
•	Ban on Post-Term Lobbying: Prohibit former elected officials from working as consultants, lobbyists, or in advisory positions for any entity that had direct dealings with the government for at least 10 years after leaving office.

Constitutional Amendment Proposal:

•	Amendment to Ban Lobbying: A constitutional amendment explicitly banning lobbying in all its forms to cement this reform.
  1. Term Limits & Salary Reforms

Legislative Actions:

•	Term Limits for Congress: Introduce legislation to impose a maximum of two terms for senators and three terms for representatives.
•	Salary Caps: Tie the salaries of Congress members and public officials to the median income of their respective constituencies. This creates a direct incentive for improving the economic well-being of their voters.
•	Cap Wealth Accumulation: Prevent Congress members from accumulating wealth through financial investments or private sector contracts while in office.
•	Retirement Restrictions: Limit pensions and retirement benefits for politicians, linking them to actual time served rather than allowing lavish post-office compensation.

Constitutional Amendment Proposal:

•	Term Limits Amendment: A constitutional amendment imposing term limits for federal elected offices.
•	Salary Cap Amendment: An amendment that restricts public servants’ salaries to a formula based on the income of their constituents.
  1. Electoral Reforms

Legislative Actions:

•	End Winner-Take-All Electoral Vote Allocation: Propose federal legislation requiring states to allocate electoral votes proportionally, ensuring each vote more accurately reflects the voters’ will.
•	National Popular Vote Compact: Encourage participation in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, where states agree to award their electoral votes to the national popular vote winner.
•	Ranked-Choice Voting: Legislate the adoption of ranked-choice voting at the federal level to ensure that elected officials more accurately reflect the preferences of their constituents.

Constitutional Amendment Proposal:

•	Electoral Reform Amendment: Amend the Constitution to mandate a proportional allocation of electoral votes and abolish the winner-takes-all system, while maintaining the Electoral College framework.
  1. Strict Transition Rules for Public Officials

Legislative Actions:

•	Ban on Corporate Transition: Enact a law prohibiting federal officials from working for companies or industries they previously regulated for at least 10 years after leaving office.
•	Strict Ethics Review: Create an independent ethics committee to review any post-office employment for former politicians. Any conflicts of interest would lead to a ban on taking certain roles.
•	Lifetime Ban on Corporate Advisory Roles: Prohibit former presidents, senators, and congresspeople from taking advisory roles, including board memberships, in any company benefiting from government contracts.

Constitutional Amendment Proposal:

•	Transition Ban Amendment: Amend the Constitution to enforce strict prohibitions on revolving door employment, extending to state-level officials as well.
  1. Constitutional Amendment and Convention of States Option

Legislative Pathway:

•	Congressional Passage of Amendments: The initial goal should be to secure passage of amendments through Congress. A clear and aggressive public campaign will be needed to garner support. The amendments would focus on term limits, salary caps, lobbying bans, and electoral reforms.

Convention of States:

•	Fallback Plan: If Congress fails to act, encourage a Convention of States under Article V of the Constitution. This allows states to propose amendments directly. A campaign to garner support from 34 states would need to focus on the key issues of bureaucracy reduction, lobbying bans, and term limits, which have widespread public support.