Congressional Reform Act of 2011

Serving in Congress is serving your fellow Americans who elected you; as such it is an honor, not a career. The founding fathers and framers envisioned citizen legislators, not career politicians. Serve your terms and then go back home and back to work in a chosen profession other than politics.

Here is my proposal for Congressional Reform. Okay some of it I gleaned off of other people, but it is good stuff and needs to be completed in one reform bill. Here it goes:

1. Congressional Term Limits: 12 years of total service to be made up of one of the following.
a. Two senate terms of six years each.
b. Six house terms of two years each.
c. One senate term of six years and three house terms of two terms each.
2. No Tenure/No Pension: A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office. There should be no pension for service in Congress.
3. All Congressmen (Past, Present, and Future) participate in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional Retirement Fund move to the Social Security System immediately and all future funds flow into the Social Security System. Congress participates with the American People.
4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plans other then Social Security, just like all Americans can.
5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay increase. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of the Consumer Price Index or 3%. NOTE: if the pay of any government employee is capped or if the unemployment rate is higher than 5%, all congressional pay raises will be stifled.
6. Congress will give up their current healthcare system and must participate in the same system as the American public.
7. Congress must be bound and equally abide by all the laws they impose upon the American people.
8. All contracts with past and present congressmen are void effective 1-1-12
a. The American people did not make any of these contracts with our congressmen.
b. The Congressmen made these contracts with themselves.


There you go. Now each of us, regardless of party affiliation and personal views or beliefs, must work to elect people who believe in these principles, be diligent in finding individuals to serve, and be prepared when or if the time comes for you to serve.

What do you think?
Bill