# 119-hjres-13: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States limiting the pardon power of the President.

119-hjres-13, Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States limiting the pardon power of the President., is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN); status introduced (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hjres-13
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hjres-13
- Congress: 119
- Title: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States limiting the pardon power of the President.
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-01-09
- Sponsor: Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN)
- Cosponsors: 5
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Limits presidential clemency** by barring the President from granting pardons or reprieves in a set of specific situations. This amendment would stop pardons for the President themself, close relatives up to the third degree and their spouses, current or former members of the President's administration, paid campaign employees, anyone who acted for the President's direct and significant personal or financial interest, and anyone who committed an offense at the President's direction or in coordination with the President. Any pardon issued for a corrupt purpose would be invalid. - Families: Prevents the President from pardoning the President themself and relatives through the third degree and their spouses. This directly constrains pardons tied to family relationships. - Officials and campaign workers: Bars pardons for current or former administration officials and for paid campaign staff. This targets people closely tied to the President's official or campaign operations. - Corrupt or directed actions: Invalidates pardons for offenses motivated by the President's personal or financial gain or done at the President's direction or coordination. This aims to stop pardons that cover misconduct linked to the President. - Enforcement and ratification: Gives Congress power to enforce the new rule by law and makes the amendment part of the Constitution when ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures.

## Cosponsors (5)

- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2025-01-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Levin, Mike [D-CA-49] (D-CA), 2025-01-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] (D-CA), 2025-09-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR), 2025-12-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-01-20T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New limits on presidential pardons: benefit, high. If enacted, this constitutional amendment would limit who a President could pardon or reprieve. It would ban self-pardons and pardons for relatives up to the third degree and their spouses. It would also ban pardons for current or former administration members and paid campaign employees. Pardons f…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-hjres-13 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-joint-resolution/13)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3069)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hjres-13 (as of 2026-04-21).