No Government Employees

The topic for this Constitution Monday comes from Article I.6.2, "No person employed in the United States government may at the same time serve as a Senator or member of the House of Representatives." This provision was carried over from Article V of the Articles of Confederation and guaranteed that American citizens would have representatives independent of both the executive and judicial branches of government. This constitutional principle prevents and/or minimizes bribery, corruption, and intrigues.

Future Positions

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from Article I.6.2: "No Senator or member of the House of Representatives may accept, during his or her term of office, a civil office or position in the United States government which was created or which had its salary, benefits, or other emolument increased during the time the appointee was serving in Congress."

The Founders obviously believed that the people had the right to expect their Senators and Congressmen to be doing the business of the people rather than creating new jobs or raising the salary of an old position, resigning from Congress, and being appointed to high-salary positions. This provision did not, however, prevent a legislator from resigning and being appointed to a position for which he did not vote to increase the pay. The Founders were simply trying to prevent a situation where legislators could be bribed to vote a certain way by the President with promises of well-paying jobs.