A ROAD MAP to strengthen democracy

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Supreme Court Ethics Recusal and Transparency (SCERT) Act:

• Ethics Code: Requires the Supreme Court to adopt a code of conduct within 180 days, ensuring all justices are held to the same ethical standards as other federal judges.
• Transparency: Mandates the publication of ethics rules, financial disclosures, and judicial misconduct rules in a searchable, downloadable format.
• Recusal Standards: Introduces stricter recusal requirements for justices regarding gifts, income, and other potential conflicts of interest.

Real Courts Rule of Law Act:

• Independent Immigration Courts: Establishes an independent immigration court system, free from executive branch influence, ensuring qualified, impartial judges and transparent court procedures.

Judicial Travel Accountability Act:

• Financial Disclosure: Requires Supreme Court justices to disclose gifts, travel, and income in line with congressional standards.

TERM Act:

• Term Limits: Proposes 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices to reduce lifetime appointments and ensure regular turnover.

Court Reform Now Task Force Initiatives:

• Court Expansion: Advocates for expanding the number of Supreme Court justices.
• Binding Code of Ethics: Enforces a mandatory ethics code for justices.
• Awareness and Education: Increases public awareness and stimulates debate on court reforms.

Raskin and Ocasio-Cortez’s Reform Proposals:

• $50 Gift Rule: Imposes a $50 gift limit on Supreme Court justices to enhance accountability.
• Ethics and Oversight: Strengthens congressional oversight of the Supreme Court’s ethical conduct.

Ban on Judicial Lobbying:

• Lobbying Restrictions: Enacts legislation that explicitly bans any form of lobbying directed at judges, including direct or indirect communications intended to influence judicial decisions.

Transparency in Judicial Appointments:

• Appointment Transparency: Requires full disclosure of any communications between judicial nominees and members of the legislative and executive branches during the appointment process.

Public Financing for Judicial Campaigns:

• Campaign Finance Reform: Implements public financing for state-level judicial campaigns to minimize the influence of private donations and ensure that judges are not beholden to special interests.

No Kings Act:

• Term Limits: Imposes strict term limits for federal judges and justices to avoid concentration of power.

Judicial Reform:

• Policy: Create a bipartisan commission to periodically review the performance of federal judges, including Supreme Court Justices, to assess their adherence to ethical standards and impartiality.
• Specific Proposal: Federal Judicial Performance Review Act - Establishes a commission to review and publicly report on the performance of federal judges every five years.

Judicial Ethics Enforcement:

• Policy: Introduce mandatory financial audits for judges to identify and prevent potential conflicts of interest.
• Specific Proposal: Judicial Financial Transparency Act - Requires annual financial disclosures and audits for all federal judges, with penalties for non-compliance.

Judicial Appointments Reform:

• Policy: Require a public, transparent hearing process for all federal judicial nominees to ensure that the selection process is not influenced by partisan considerations.
• Specific Proposal: Transparent Judicial Appointments Act - Mandates public hearings and detailed reporting on the qualifications and background of judicial nominees.

Campaign Finance Reform:

• Overturn Citizens United: Work towards overturning the Citizens United ruling to limit corporate and special interest money in politics.
• Public Financing for Campaigns: Implement public financing for federal campaigns to minimize private donations and ensure candidates are accountable to the public.
• Specific Proposal: Public Campaign Financing Act - Provides federal matching funds to candidates who opt into a public financing system and adhere to strict contribution limits.

Ethics and Lobbying Laws:

• Stronger Ethics Laws: Enact legislation to strengthen ethics laws, including restrictions on gifts, travel, and other financial benefits for public officials.
• Ban on Judicial Lobbying: Explicitly ban any form of lobbying directed at judges to prevent undue influence on the judiciary.
• Specific Proposal: Extended Cooling-Off Period for Lobbyists Act - Increases the cooling-off period to ten years for senior government officials before they can engage in lobbying.

Election Reforms:

• Ranked Choice Voting: Adopt ranked choice voting and top 4/5 primaries to ensure more representative elections and reduce the impact of partisan primaries.
• Independent Redistricting Commissions: Establish independent commissions to draw electoral districts, ending partisan gerrymandering.

Warren and Jayapal’s Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act:

• Ban Stock Ownership: Prohibit members of Congress, federal judges, and senior officials from owning or trading individual stocks to eliminate financial conflicts of interest.
• End Lobbying Influence: Ban foreign lobbying, prevent lobbyists from donating to candidates, and impose a lifetime ban on lobbying by former members of Congress, Presidents, and agency heads.
• Improve Judicial Integrity: Require the Supreme Court to follow the same ethics rules as other federal judges, strengthen judicial recusal processes, and establish new mechanisms for judicial accountability.
• Boost Transparency: Enhance disclosure requirements for elected officials, improve transparency in government operations, and close loopholes in federal open records laws.

Automatic Voter Registration:

• Executive Order: Direct federal agencies to facilitate automatic voter registration for eligible citizens.
• Policy: Expand automatic voter registration to include individuals interacting with state and federal agencies, such as the IRS and Social Security Administration.
• Specific Proposal: National Automatic Voter Registration Act - Broadens the scope of automatic voter registration to include multiple government agencies.

National Voting Holiday:

• Legislation: Advocate for the establishment of a national holiday on Election Day to increase voter turnout.

Voting Rights Act Restoration:

• Legislation: Support and strengthen the Voting Rights Act to protect against voter suppression tactics.
• Policy: Establish a federal watchdog agency specifically tasked with monitoring and preventing voter suppression tactics across the United States.
• Specific Proposal: Voter Protection and Advocacy Agency Act - Creates an independent federal agency to oversee and combat voter suppression efforts.

Ranked Choice Voting:

• Executive Order: Encourage federal agencies to study and support ranked choice voting as a fairer election method.
• Election Reforms: Adopt ranked choice voting and top 4/5 primaries to ensure more representative elections and reduce the impact of partisan primaries.

Independent Redistricting Commissions:

• Legislation: Establish independent commissions to draw electoral districts, ending partisan gerrymandering.

Election Security Measures:

• Policy: Introduce a federal program that provides grants to states for the modernization of voting equipment, including mandatory cybersecurity upgrades.
• Specific Proposal: Election Infrastructure Modernization Grant Program - Provides federal grants to states for the modernization and cybersecurity enhancement of voting systems.

Voter ID Requirements:

• Policy: Address potential controversies around voter ID laws by proposing a balanced approach that protects voter integrity while ensuring accessibility.
• Specific Proposal: Fair Access to Voting Act - Allows for free, universally accessible voter IDs, and ensures that ID requirements do not disproportionately affect marginalized communities.

• Congressional Oversight: Establish mechanisms for regular congressional oversight of the judiciary to ensure adherence to ethical standards and accountability.
• Sanctions and Removal: Provide clear processes for imposing sanctions, removal, and forced recusals of judges found in violation of ethical guidelines.
• Severe Penalties for Violations: Introduce criminal penalties, including imprisonment, for judges found guilty of serious ethical violations or corruption.
• Public Reporting: Require regular public reporting of judicial misconduct investigations and their outcomes.

Ethics and Transparency:

• Stricter Ethics Laws: Enact stricter ethics laws for elected officials, including bans on stock trading and conflicts of interest.
• Real-Time Disclosure: Require real-time disclosure of campaign contributions and expenditures to increase transparency.

Transparency in Government Contracts:

• Policy: Implement a real-time public database that tracks all federal contracts, including details of the bidding process and the awarded contracts.
• Specific Proposal: Open Federal Contracts Act - Establishes a publicly accessible database for real-time tracking of all federal government contracts and procurement activities.

Strengthen the Office of Government Ethics (OGE):

• Policy: Introduce a system where high-ranking government officials are subject to random audits by the OGE to ensure ongoing compliance with ethical standards.
• Specific Proposal: Ethics Compliance Monitoring Act - Requires random audits of high-ranking officials and imposes stricter penalties for ethical violations.

Lobbying Reform:

• Policy: Ban lobbying activities by former senior government officials for a period of ten years after leaving office to further reduce the revolving door between government and private interests.
• Specific Proposal: Extended Cooling-Off Period for Lobbyists Act - Increases the cooling-off period to ten years for senior government officials before they can engage in lobbying.

Defense of Non-Profit Organizations:

• Policy: Provide tax incentives for individuals and businesses that donate to civil society organizations engaged in social justice and community development work.
• Specific Proposal: Civil Society Support Tax Incentive Act - Offers tax breaks for donations to non-profits focused on social justice and community development.

Support for Advocacy Groups:

• Policy: Create a federal grant program specifically aimed at empowering grassroots organizations that work to protect civil rights and advocate for marginalized communities.
• Specific Proposal: Grassroots Empowerment Grant Program - Provides federal grants to grassroots advocacy groups working on civil rights and social justice issues.

Legal Protections for Protestors:

• Policy: Establish a federal oversight body to review and regulate the use of force by law enforcement during protests and public demonstrations.
• Specific Proposal: Protestor Rights and Police Accountability Act - Creates a federal body to oversee law enforcement actions during protests, ensuring the protection of protestors' rights.

Protect Nonprofits from Government Interference:

• Legislation: Enact clear legal protections to ensure nonprofits can operate without fear of politically motivated investigations or restrictions.

Enhance Legal Protections for Whistleblowers and Advocacy Groups:

• Legislation: Strengthen federal and state laws to protect whistleblowers and advocacy groups that expose government wrongdoing.

Promote Transparency in Nonprofit Funding and Operations:

• Mechanisms: Develop mechanisms to enhance transparency in the funding and operations of nonprofits to build public trust.

Establish Public Funding Programs for Nonprofits:

• Funding: Create public funding programs to support nonprofits that provide essential services and advocacy, ensuring they can operate independently of private and political interests.

Foster Collaboration Between Nonprofits and Government Agencies:

• Partnerships: Encourage partnerships between nonprofits and government agencies to enhance the effectiveness of programs aimed at improving social outcomes.

Increase Cybersecurity for Nonprofits:

• Cybersecurity Measures: Enhance cybersecurity measures for nonprofits, particularly those at high risk of cyberattacks.

Media Ownership and Regulation:

• Anti-Monopoly Laws: Strengthen anti-monopoly laws to prevent media concentration and ensure a diverse and independent press.
• Transparency in Media Ownership: Require full transparency in media ownership, ensuring that the public knows who controls media outlets and their affiliations.

Digital Platform Accountability:

• Regulate Social Media: Implement regulations to hold social media platforms accountable for the spread of misinformation and harmful content.
• Protect Journalists: Enact laws to protect journalists from harassment, violence, and legal threats.

Public Broadcasting Funding:

• Support Independent Media: Increase funding for public broadcasting services to ensure access to independent and unbiased news and information.
• Policy: Mandate a percentage of federal advertising budgets be allocated to public broadcasting networks to ensure their financial stability and independence.
• Specific Proposal: Public Broadcasting Funding Act - Requires that 10% of federal advertising budgets be allocated to public broadcasting services.

Combat Disinformation:

• Policy: Implement educational programs in public schools that focus on media literacy and critical thinking skills to help students identify and combat disinformation.
• Specific Proposal: National Media Literacy Education Act - Introduces media literacy and critical thinking programs into the public school curriculum to combat disinformation.

Digital Rights:

• Digital Privacy: Strengthen regulations on how companies collect, store, and use personal data, with an emphasis on transparency and user consent.
• Specific Proposal: Digital Privacy Protection Act - Strengthens regulations on personal data use by companies, focusing on transparency and consent.
• Net Neutrality: Reinstate net neutrality protections to ensure that all internet traffic is treated equally, without discrimination or additional charges.
• Specific Proposal: Open Internet Act - Enshrines net neutrality principles into federal law, preventing internet service providers from throttling or prioritizing content.

• Expand the Civil Rights Act: Extend protections against discrimination to include sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status.
• Hate Crimes Prevention: Strengthen hate crime laws and increase penalties for crimes motivated by bias or prejudice.
• Policy: Strengthen the penalties for hate crimes and establish a federal task force dedicated to investigating and prosecuting such crimes more effectively.
• Specific Proposal: Hate Crimes Enforcement and Prosecution Act - Increases penalties for hate crimes and creates a federal task force for investigation and prosecution.

Reproductive Rights:

• Protect Access: Enact legislation to protect and expand access to reproductive healthcare services, ensuring women have the right to make decisions about their own bodies.

Human Rights Education:

• Curriculum Integration: Integrate comprehensive human rights education into school curriculums to raise awareness and promote respect for human rights from an early age.

Equal Rights Amendment:

• Gender Equality: Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to guarantee equal rights for all citizens, regardless of gender.

Right to Privacy:

• Privacy Protections: Amend the Constitution to explicitly protect the right to privacy, ensuring individuals are free from unwarranted government intrusion.

International Human Rights Advocacy:

• Policy: Establish a special envoy for global LGBTQ+ rights, with the mandate to promote and protect LGBTQ+ rights in U.S. foreign policy.
• Specific Proposal: Global LGBTQ+ Rights Envoy Act - Creates a special envoy position within the State Department focused on advocating for LGBTQ+ rights globally.

Comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Laws:

• Policy: Expand the Fair Housing Act to include protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as other vulnerable groups.
• Specific Proposal: Fair Housing Expansion Act - Extends protections under the Fair Housing Act to include sexual orientation, gender identity, and other vulnerable groups.

Environmental Protections and Climate Change

Environmental Justice Act:

• Policy: Addresses environmental inequalities by enforcing stricter regulations on pollution in low-income and minority communities.

Climate Change Policy:

• National Climate Action Plan: Establish aggressive goals for reducing carbon emissions, transitioning to renewable energy, and supporting communities affected by climate change.

Economic Inequality

Wealth Tax Act:

• Policy: Introduce a wealth tax on the richest Americans to fund social programs and reduce economic disparities.

Minimum Wage:

• Living Wage Act: Establish a $15 minimum wage nationwide, indexed to inflation, to ensure a living wage for all workers.

Criminal Justice Reform

Comprehensive Sentencing Reform Act:

• Policy: Overhaul sentencing guidelines to reduce mandatory minimums and eliminate disparities, especially for non-violent drug offenses.

Decriminalization and Expungement Act:

• Policy: Decriminalize marijuana and expunge the records of those convicted of related offenses.

Education and Student Rights

Educational Equity Act:

• Policy: Provide federal funding to under-resourced schools and mandate equitable distribution of educational resources.

Student Debt Forgiveness Act:

• Policy: Cancel a significant portion of federal student loan debt and reform the student loan system to prevent future crises.he public knows who controls media outlets and their affiliations.

Digital Platform Accountability:

• Regulate Social Media: Implement regulations to hold social media platforms accountable for the spread of misinformation and harmful content.
• Protect Journalists: Enact laws to protect journalists from harassment, violence, and legal threats.

Public Broadcasting Funding:

• Support Independent Media: Increase funding for public broadcasting services to ensure access to independent and unbiased news and information.
• Policy: Mandate a percentage of federal advertising budgets be allocated to public broadcasting networks to ensure their financial stability and independence.
• Specific Proposal: Public Broadcasting Funding Act - Requires that 10% of federal advertising budgets be allocated to public broadcasting services.

Combat Disinformation:

• Policy: Implement educational programs in public schools that focus on media literacy and critical thinking skills to help students identify and combat disinformation.
• Specific Proposal: National Media Literacy Education Act - Introduces media literacy and critical thinking programs into the public school curriculum to combat disinformation.

Digital Rights:

• Digital Privacy: Strengthen regulations on how companies collect, store, and use personal data, with an emphasis on transparency and user consent.
• Specific Proposal: Digital Privacy Protection Act - Strengthens regulations on personal data use by companies, focusing on transparency and consent.
• Net Neutrality: Reinstate net neutrality protections to ensure that all internet traffic is treated equally, without discrimination or additional charges.
• Specific Proposal: Open Internet Act - Enshrines net neutrality principles into federal law, preventing internet service providers from throttling or prioritizing content.