ARTICLE I: BANNING INSIDER TRADING AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

I pledge to support and actively champion legislation that prohibits elected officials, their spouses, and their dependent children from trading or owning individual stocks, bonds, or securities in public markets.

Specifically, this commitment entails:

1. Divestment or Blind Trust: Upon taking office, I and my immediate family will either divest all individual stock holdings or place them into a Qualified Blind Trust managed by a truly independent third party.
2. Permitted Investments: I will only be permitted to hold and invest in widely held, diversified investment vehicles, such as mutual funds, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), or U.S. Treasury obligations, where investment decisions are entirely passive.
3. Enhanced Penalties: I commit to increasing the penalties for violations of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act disclosure requirements from minor fines to substantial financial penalties and potential ethics violations leading to removal from committee assignments.
4. Oversight of Pre-Existing Portfolios: For any pre-existing individual stock holdings placed into the Qualified Blind Trust, the candidate may, in consultation with the third-party manager, establish initial portfolio allocation parameters, provided such parameters are non-specific and the third-party manager retains sole authority over all active trading and management decisions.

ARTICLE II: ENACTING TERM LIMITS

I pledge to support and actively champion a Constitutional Amendment to establish defined term limits for Members of Congress, ensuring periodic rotation in leadership and mitigating the corrupting influence of entrenched, lifelong political careers.

Specifically, this commitment entails:

1. Senate Term Limit: Limiting service in the U.S. Senate to a maximum of two full six-year terms (12 years total).
2. House Term Limit: Limiting service in the U.S. House of Representatives to a maximum of six full two-year terms (12 years total).

ARTICLE III: AGE-RELATED COMPETENCY AND FITNESS STANDARDS

I pledge to support mandatory, objective, and non-discriminatory standards to ensure the mental fitness of our nation’s leaders, thereby guaranteeing the capacity required for high-pressure governance.

Specifically, this commitment entails:

1. Mandatory Cognitive Assessment: Any individual who will be 75 years of age or older during their term of office must undergo an objective, standardized cognitive assessment (such as the MoCA Test or a similar medically validated instrument) prior to taking office and annually thereafter.
2. Public Disclosure: The results of this standardized assessment shall be made publicly available to the electorate in the same manner as campaign finance reports and financial disclosures.

ARTICLE IV: CURBING POST-SERVICE INFLUENCE

I pledge to support and actively champion legislation significantly extending the “cooling-off period” before former government officials may engage in lobbying activities.

Specifically, this commitment entails:

1. Six-Year Ban: For a period of six (6) full years after leaving office, I will not register as a lobbyist, work for a lobbying firm, or engage in any compensated activity intended to influence federal, state, or local government policy, legislation, or regulation.
2. Lifetime Ban on Subject Matter: I will permanently ban myself from representing any person or entity on any matter in which I personally and substantially participated while serving in public office.

ARTICLE V: ETHICS AND CONSTITUENT LOYALTY

I recognize that my primary duty is to the citizens I serve and to the foundational principles of the nation.

Specifically, this commitment entails:

1. Constitutional Loyalty: I promise to uphold my loyalty to the Constitution and the people of the United States, followed by the constituents of my district/state.
2. Religious Neutrality: I promise that my legislative and governmental decisions will be guided strictly by my oath to the Constitution and the interests of my constituents, ensuring that my personal religious beliefs do not dictate public policy and that I will actively protect the right of every citizen to freely practice or not practice any religion without governmental favor or prejudice.
3. Regular Town Halls: I promise to hold a minimum of one in-person town hall or public forum event in my district/state every six (6) months while serving in office, ensuring accessibility and direct communication with the electorate.

ARTICLE VI: BIPARTISAN GOVERNANCE REFORMS

I pledge to seek and support additional common-sense reforms designed to increase government transparency and accountability, which are supported by a broad majority of voters across the political spectrum.

Specifically, this commitment entails:

1. Independent Redistricting: I will champion the creation and implementation of non-partisan, independent commissions to draw electoral district lines, permanently removing this process from political influence and ending gerrymandering.
2. Campaign Finance Transparency: I will support legislation requiring the immediate and complete disclosure of all political contributions, eliminating “dark money” from political campaigns by strengthening reporting requirements for Super PACs and non-profit political organizations.

ARTICLE VII: ESTABLISHING INDEPENDENT LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT COMMISSION

I pledge to champion legislation that creates a permanent, independent commission to govern both compensation and ethical conduct for federal legislators, thereby eliminating the inherent conflicts of interest in self-determined pay and self-policing.

Specifically, this commitment entails:

1. Creating an Independent Legislative Oversight Commission: I will advocate for the establishment of a standing, permanent commission composed of non-elected, independent experts (including economists, human resource specialists, legal scholars, and ethics officers) to exclusively determine federal legislative salaries, allowances, and benefits.
2. Independent Investigative Authority: The Commission shall also be granted full, exclusive authority to investigate and adjudicate complaints of official misconduct, ethics violations, and breaches of public trust by Senators and Representatives, replacing the current internal Congressional ethics process.
3. Annual Report and Public Standard: The Commission’s decisions must be based on objective criteria, benchmarked against similar public and private sector roles, and subject to public review, ensuring that any changes are transparent and merit-based, not politically motivated.
4. Transfer of Authority: I commit to voting to relinquish the Senate’s and the House’s constitutional authority to adjust their own pay and the internal authority to police their own ethics, transferring that power entirely to the newly established Independent Commission.

CANDIDATE AGREEMENT:

By affixing my signature below, I affirm that I have read, understand, and fully commit to the principles and specific legislative actions outlined in this Governance Reform Pledge. I acknowledge that failure to vigorously pursue these legislative goals will constitute a breach of this public trust and my commitment to the electorate.

Integrity and Resignation Clause: Furthermore, recognizing the imperative for public officials to maintain the highest standard of conduct and truthfulness, I pledge to voluntarily resign from office immediately upon a final, non-appealable finding by the Independent Legislative Oversight Commission or a court of law that I have committed a financial felony, intentional, legally defined misrepresentation of official or financial records, or demonstrable acts of corruption, quid pro quo, or a criminal violation of the oath of office directly related to my candidacy or service in office. I hold that integrity is non-negotiable and that a breach of public trust warrants immediate relinquishment of legislative power.