Reform Agenda
Proposed Laws, Policies, and Constitutional Reforms
The legal landscape is constantly evolving as governments adopt new laws, constitutional amendments, and policies and repeal those that have fallen out of favor. Below is a list of some of the more prominent proposals, most of which Fifth Republic supports. In fact, I am the author of some of these measures, though they may never find a sponsor. General background information can be found at Reform Guide. Click on linked arrows for quick information about specific measures.
Note: The letters WA in the last column, combined with a green background, indicate a measure focusing on Washington State. The letters FR combined with a yellow background indicate a measure created by Fifth Republic.
I. Democracy & Election Reform
Voting Systems
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Establish ranked-choice voting systems for federal elections. → | |
| Law | Establish open primary systems nationwide. → | |
| Law | Establish digital voting systems with security, transparency, and paper-audit safeguards. → | |
| Constitutional Amendment | Establish constitutional protection for alternative voting systems. → | |
Representation and Electoral Structure
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Establish proportional representation systems. → | |
| Law | Establish multi-member legislative districts. → | |
| Law | Establish a national popular vote for presidential elections. → | |
| Law | Restructure the Electoral College system. → | |
| Constitutional Amendment | Replace the Electoral College with a direct national popular vote. → | |
| Repeal | Repeal the Electoral College. → | |
Campaign Finance Reform
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Establish public financing for election campaigns. → | |
Direct Democracy
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Expand initiatives, referendums, recalls, and citizen assemblies. → | |
| Constitutional Amendment | Establish constitutional protections for direct-democracy mechanisms. → | |
| Law | Prohibit substantially identical ballot measures from being resubmitted within a defined waiting period following voter rejection. (One Vote and You’re Out) → | WA, FR |
Government Representation & Term Limits
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Constitutional Amendment | Establish congressional term limits. → | |
II. Civil Liberties
Privacy & Surveillance
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Repeal | Repeal or substantially reform the USA PATRIOT Act. → | |
| Repeal | Repeal or substantially reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act system. → | |
| Law | Establish a digital bill of rights. (Digital Bill of Rights) → | |
| Constitutional Amendment | Establish constitutional protection for privacy in digital communications and online activity. (Privacy Amendment) → | |
Speech & Expression
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Constitutional Amendment | Extend explicit free-speech protections to digital communication and online platforms. → | |
| Repeal | Repeal or Reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act → | |
| Law | Reform legal terminology and definitions relating to antisemitism and anti-Jewish discrimination. → | FR |
| Law | Prohibit the conflation of hatred for Israel or Zionism with anti-Jewism (aka antisemitism) in the political and legal arenas. → | FR |
| Law | Prohibit the punishment of U.S. citizens for alleged criticism or acts of anti-Jewism (aka antisemitism) where similar criticism of non-Jewish groups would be tolerated. → | FR |
Digital Rights
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Recognize the right of U.S. citizens to repair electronic devices they have purchased. (Right to Repair) → | |
| Law | Restore net-neutrality protections. (Restore Net Neutrality) → | |
Equal Rights & Civil Protections
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Constitutional Amendment | Prohibit discrimination based on sex. (Equal Rights Amendment) → | |
Due Process & Property Rights
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Repeal | Repeal or substantially reform civil asset forfeiture laws. → | |
Immigration & Border Policy
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Repeal | Repeal or reform specified border and immigration policies. → | |
III. Anti-Corruption
Campaign Finance & Political Influence
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Limit or eliminate legal doctrines associated with corporate personhood. → | |
| Law | Restrict lobbying activities and influence. → | |
| Law | Congressional financial restrictions. → | |
| Law | Establish a public lobbying database. → | |
| Law | Maintain lifetime lobbying restrictions after a public servant leaves office. → | |
| Constitutional Amendment | Limit corporate political spending and influence in elections. (Campaign Finance / Anti-Corporate Influence Amendment) → | |
| Law | Mandatory disclosure of meetings with lobbyists → | |
Government Ethics & Oversight
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Establish an independent anti-corruption agency. → | |
| Law | Create financial transparency requirements. → | |
| Law | Establish citizen audit boards. → | |
| Law | Establish independent ethics commissions. → | |
| Law | Require expanded transparency and auditing of Federal Reserve activities. → | |
| Law | Ban congressional stock trading. → | |
| Law | Strengthen whistleblower protections. → | |
Corporate Power & Competition
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Limit excessive corporate concentration/power. → | |
| Law | Strengthen antitrust enforcement against dominant technology companies (e.g. Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Facebook). (Break Up Big Tech) → | |
| Law | Restrict highly leveraged acquisitions. → | |
Media & Information Transparency
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Policy | Explore publicly funded media alternatives. → | |
| Law | Establish public-interest media funding. → | |
| Law | Establish algorithm transparency rules. → | |
| Law | Establish government transparency portals. → | |
| Law | Establish open-data requirements. → | |
Judicial Ethics Reform
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Establish Supreme Court term limits. → | |
| Law | Prohibit gifts, travel, and financial benefits above defined limits for federal judges. → | |
| Law | Require mandatory recusal when a judge receives significant gifts, benefits, or financial relationships from interested parties. → | |
| Law | Strengthen disclosure requirements for judges and public officials. → | |
| Law | Create an enforceable ethics code for the Supreme Court. → | |
| Law | Establish an independent judicial ethics review body. → | |
| Law | Strengthen oversight and enforcement of judicial misconduct rules. → | |
International Finance & Sovereign Protection
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Restrict private actions that intentionally undermine foreign sovereign economic stability. → | |
| Law | Limit enforcement of claims that interfere with sovereign immunity protections. → | |
| Policy | Review rules governing sovereign debt litigation and asset seizures. → | |
| Constitutional Amendment | Limit taxation or require enhanced approval thresholds for certain taxes. → | |
Corporate Transparency & Financial Accountability
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Increase transparency regarding offshore corporate structures. → | |
| Law | Restrict tax-haven abuse and offshore profit shifting. → | |
| Law | Require disclosure of beneficial ownership. → | |
IV. Government Structure Reform
Executive Branch Reform
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Restrict executive orders. → | |
| Law | Narrow emergency powers. → | |
| Law | Strengthen congressional oversight of executive agencies. → | |
| Law | Restructure Cabinet departments. → | |
| Law | Establish new executive departments. → | |
| Constitutional Amendment | Abolish presidential pardons. → | |
Congressional Reform
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Constitutional Amendment | Establish Congressional term limits. → | |
| Law | Extend House terms from two years to four years. → | |
| Law | Restrict omnibus legislation. → | |
| Law | Require legislation to address a single subject. → | |
| Law | Require public review periods before major votes. → | |
| Law | Eliminate or restrict earmarks. → | |
| Law | Tie congressional compensation to measurable benchmarks. → | |
Supreme Court and Judicial Reform
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Constitutional Amendment | Replace lifetime Supreme Court appointments with fixed terms. (Supreme Court Term Limits Amendment) → | |
| Law | Expand or reduce the number of Supreme Court justices. → | |
| Law | Create a mandatory ethics code for Supreme Court justices. → | |
| Law | Create transparent recusal standards for Supreme Court justices. → | |
| Law | Establish law that rotates appellate judges onto the Supreme Court. → | |
| Law | Accelerate judicial review procedures. → | |
| Law | Limit nationwide injunction authority. → | |
Federal Structure Reform
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Expand state autonomy. → | |
| Law | Clarify federal powers. → | |
| Law | Reform interstate compacts. → | |
| Policy | Secession Movements → | |
Constitutional Process Reform
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Constitutional Amendment | Create constitutional convention procedures. (Constitutional Convention Amendment) → | |
| Law | Establish procedures for an Article V convention. → | |
| Law | Require periodic constitutional review. → | |
| Policy | Constitutional rewrite / Second Republic proposals → | |
War Powers & Military Authorization
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Repeal | Repeal broad executive war powers. → | |
| Constitutional Amendment | War Powers Amendment (War Powers Amendment) → | |
| Law | Clarify war powers. → | |
Budget & Fiscal Structure Reform
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Constitutional Amendment | Balanced Budget Amendment → | |
| Law | Balanced Budget Procedures → | |
| Law | Establish balanced budget procedures. → | |
| Constitutional Amendment | Require the federal government to balance spending and revenue except under defined circumstances. (Balanced Budget Amendment) → | |
Government Modernization
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Implement government modernization initiatives. → | |
| Law | Require sunset clauses for laws. → | |
| Law | Establish public digital identity systems. → | |
V. Foreign Policy and National Security Reform
Diplomacy & International Relations
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Policy | Withdraw recognition of Israel. → | |
| Policy | Designate Israel as a state sponsor of terrorism. → | |
| Policy | Impose economic and diplomatic sanctions on Israel. → | |
| Law | Recognize the Jewish community as 1) a reservoir of organized crime and 2) a secret society linked to a terrorist entity (Israel). → | |
| Law | Restrict unilateral sanctions against legitimate foreign countries. → | |
Foreign Aid & Economic Relations
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Prohibit U.S. government aid to Israel. → | |
| Law | Prohibit U.S. businesses from engaging in commercial activity in or with Israel. → | |
Military Strategy & Force Structure
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Policy | Reduce the size and overseas footprint of the U.S. military. → | |
| Policy | Close selected U.S. military bases in East Asia. → | |
| Policy | Close selected U.S. military bases in the Middle East. → | |
| Policy | Close the U.S. military facility on Diego Garcia. → | |
| Policy | Close the U.S. military installation at Guantanamo Bay and relinquish the lease. → | |
Alliances & International Organizations
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Policy | Withdraw from North Atlantic Treaty Organization. → | |
Nuclear Policy
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Policy | Pursue nuclear disarmament initiatives. → | |
Military Authorization & Intervention
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Repeal | Repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force of 2001. → | |
VI. Economic & Corporate Reform
Corporate Power & Market Structure
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Limit excessive corporate concentration and monopoly power. → | |
| Constitutional Amendment | Establish constitutional protections against extreme economic concentration and monopoly power. → | |
| Law | Restrict highly leveraged corporate acquisitions. → | |
Income, Wages & Economic Security
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Establish a universal basic income program. → | |
| Law | Establish guaranteed income programs for qualifying individuals or communities. → | |
| Law | Establish a living wage and periodically adjust minimum wage standards. → | |
Banking & Financial Services
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Establish postal banking services. → | |
Taxation & Economic Policy
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Repeal | Repeal or reform selected tax provisions and loopholes. → | |
| Law | Establish a wealth tax on very large fortunes. (Wealth Tax) → | |
| Law | Establish a carbon tax. → | |
| Law | Limit predatory practices involving distressed sovereign debt. → | |
| Repeal | Repeal or reduce occupational licensing requirements where appropriate. → | |
VII. Environmental and Science Reform
Environmental Protection
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Prohibit or significantly restrict hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”). → | |
| Law | Restrict or prohibit the manufacture and use of specified PFAS chemicals (“forever chemicals”). → | |
| Constitutional Amendment | Establish a constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment. (Green Amendment, Environmental Rights Amendment) → | |
Climate and Energy Policy
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Policy | Establish a Green New Deal–style environmental and infrastructure program. → | |
| Law | Tax carbon emissions with carbon taxes. → | |
| Repeal | Repeal fossil fuel subsidies. → | |
| Repeal | Reduce regulatory barriers affecting nuclear energy development. → | |
Food, Agriculture & Consumer Information
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Require labeling of foods containing genetically modified ingredients. → | |
VIII. Transparency and Accountability Reform
Government Transparency
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Require public agencies to preserve and maintain public records and archives. → | |
| Law | Require independent audits of public agencies receiving taxpayer funds. → | |
| Law | Require public disclosure of leadership structures within public agencies. (Public Leadership Disclosure) → | |
| Law | Require searchable public databases of government information. → | |
| Law | Establish public online legislative tracking. (Public online legislative tracking) → | |
Employment & Records Transparency
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Increase statutory penalties for willful failure to comply with employee personnel-record requests and require reimbursement of reasonable enforcement costs. (Personnel Records Enforcement Act) → | |
Corporate and Organizational Transparency
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Require disclosure of corporate ownership and leadership information. (Corporate Ownership and Leadership Disclosure) → | |
| Law | Require disclosure of significant organizational affiliations. (Significant Organizational Affiliation Disclosure) → | |
| Law | Require transparency regarding union leadership and governance. (Union Leadership Transparency) → | |
| Law | Require disclosure of beneficial ownership structures. → | |
Educational Transparency
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Require disclosure of school board and educational leadership information. (School Board Information Disclosure) → | |
Historical and Investigative Transparency
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Executive Action | Require review and public release of JFK investigation records where legally permissible. → | |
| Executive Action | Require review and public release of Epstein-related records where legally permissible. → | |
Technology and Algorithm Transparency
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Require transparency regarding major algorithmic systems and automated decision-making. → | |
IX. Criminal Justice and Public Safety Reform
Drug Policy Reform
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Repeal | Repeal federal marijuana prohibition. → | |
Sentencing Reform
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Repeal | Repeal mandatory minimum sentencing laws. → | |
| Repeal | Repeal three-strikes sentencing laws. → | |
Prison Reform & Human Rights
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Prohibit torture and cruel treatment by government personnel and institutions. → | |
| Law | Restrict prolonged solitary confinement and recognize extended isolation as a potential form of psychological torture. → | |
X. Healthcare and Public Health Reform
Healthcare Systems
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Establish a universal healthcare system providing access to medical care for all citizens. (Medicare for All) → | |
Healthcare Rights
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Constitutional Amendment | Establish access to healthcare as a constitutional right. (Right to Healthcare Amendment) → | |
Healthcare Reform
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Repeal | Repeal or replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. → | |
XI. Education and Knowledge Reform
Educational Rights
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Constitutional Amendment | Establish access to education as a constitutional right. → | |
Education Standards & Assessment
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Repeal | Repeal or reform federal testing mandates. → | |
XII. Culture and Civic Identity
National Symbols & Civic Traditions
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Law | Require the U.S. Olympic team to lower the flag to host nations. → | FR |
| Repeal | Repeal the law designating "In God We Trust" as the official national motto. (National Motto Reform) → | FR |
| Policy | Consider adoption of a redesigned Washington State flag. → | WA, FR |
Reproductive Rights & Human Life
| Type | Measure | Scope |
|---|
| Constitutional Amendment | Human Life Amendment → | |
