Foundation of the Federal Bar Association Charter Amendments Act of 2025

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Bill ID: 119/s/616
Last Updated: December 11, 2025

Sponsored by

Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA]

ID: K000393

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Presented to President.

December 10, 2025

Introduced

Committee Review

Floor Action

Passed Senate

House Review

Passed Congress

Presidential Action

📍 Current Status

Next: If the President signs the bill, it becomes law.

⚖️

Became Law

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1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.

2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.

6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.

7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!

Bill Summary

Another thrilling episode of "Congressional Theater" brought to you by the esteemed members of the Senate. Today's feature presentation is S. 616, a bill that promises to revolutionize the world of... wait for it... the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association Charter Amendments Act of 2025! (yawn)

**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The main purpose of this bill is to revise the federal charter for the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association. Wow, I can barely contain my excitement. The objectives are to update the organization's bylaws, membership requirements, and governing structure. Because, clearly, the most pressing issue facing our nation today is the outdated charter of a lawyers' association.

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill makes several changes to existing law, including:

* Amending Section 70501 of title 36, United States Code, to remove subsection (b) and redesignate subsection (c) as subsection (b). Oh boy, I can already feel the earth shaking. * Revising Section 70503 to make membership eligibility and rights contingent on bylaws. Because who needs clear guidelines when you can just make it up as you go along? * Updating Section 70504 to give the board of directors more flexibility in exercising their powers. Because what could possibly go wrong with giving a group of lawyers more power?

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The affected parties include:

* The Foundation of the Federal Bar Association (because, obviously) * Lawyers who are members of the association * Possibly, the general public, if they care about the intricacies of lawyer organizations

**Potential Impact & Implications:** The potential impact of this bill is... well, let's just say it's not exactly earth-shattering. It might make some lawyers happy, but that's about it. The implications are:

* More bureaucratic red tape for an organization that already has too much * Possibly more opportunities for lawyers to line their pockets with money from unsuspecting clients (just kidding... or am I?) * A slight increase in the number of lawyers who will be able to say they're part of a "reformed" organization

**Diagnosis:** This bill is suffering from a bad case of " Lawyer-itis," a disease characterized by an excessive focus on trivial matters and a complete disregard for the bigger picture. The symptoms include:

* A $0 price tag, because who needs to worry about budgetary effects when you're just tweaking a lawyers' association charter? * No discernible impact on the general public, because let's face it, nobody cares about this stuff * A healthy dose of bureaucratic jargon and legalese, guaranteed to put even the most seasoned lawyer to sleep

**Treatment:** The treatment for Lawyer-itis is simple: a strong dose of reality. Someone needs to tell these lawyers that there are more pressing issues in the world than their precious charter amendments. But until

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💰 Campaign Finance Network

Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$480,070
21 donors
PACs
$0
Organizations
$260,150
Committees
$0
Individuals
$219,920

No PAC contributions found

1
EDGEWORTH PROTECTIVE SERVICES
1 transaction
$245,533
2
SENECA NATION OF INDIANS
2 transactions
$6,600
3
ROSEWOOD SAND HILL
1 transaction
$2,560
4
THE CITIZEN HOTEL
1 transaction
$1,454
5
CAMBRIA HOTEL
1 transaction
$1,260
6
JETBLUE AIRWAYS
1 transaction
$789
7
HYATT CENTRIC
1 transaction
$758
8
EMBASSY SUITES
1 transaction
$646
9
OEK NJ LLC
1 transaction
$500
10
COMMON SENSE PAC
1 transaction
$50

No committee contributions found

1
REITERMAN, MARY ELIZABETH
2 transactions
$34,800
2
VIVIAN, MICHAEL A
2 transactions
$34,800
3
JONES, SHIRLEY
2 transactions
$34,800
4
LACOSTE, ROGER
2 transactions
$34,800
5
LABEDZ, DAVID
3 transactions
$34,800
6
MAKI, NEIL JAMES
2 transactions
$10,025
7
COX, SANDY
2 transactions
$10,000
8
HENLEY, DOY
1 transaction
$8,354
9
HILL, VERNON
1 transaction
$7,529
10
HARTMAN, STEPHEN
1 transaction
$5,310
11
BRADDOCK, DAVID
1 transaction
$4,702

Cosponsors & Their Campaign Finance

This bill has 1 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.

Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]

ID: W000802

Top Contributors

10

1
HEISING, MARK
MEDLEY PARTNERS MANAGING DIRECTOR / FOUNDER
Individual ATHERTON, CA
$6,600
Mar 4, 2024
2
PAGE, GLORIA
N/A NOT EMPLOYED
Individual LOS ALTOS, CA
$5,400
Apr 14, 2023
3
PAGE, GLORIA
Individual LOS ALTOS, CA
$5,000
Apr 24, 2023
4
PAGE, GLORIA
N/A NOT EMPLOYED
Individual LOS ALTOS, CA
$3,330
Jul 12, 2024
5
PAGE, GLORIA
Individual LOS ALTOS, CA
$3,330
Sep 8, 2024
6
CONOVER, CATHERINE M.
SELF EMPLOYED INVESTOR
Individual WASHINGTON, DC
$3,300
Oct 25, 2024
7
LANG, DAVID
N/A RETIRED
Individual PORTSMOUTH, RI
$3,300
Oct 28, 2024
8
ARNOLD, JOHN
N/A NOT EMPLOYED
Individual HOUSTON, TX
$3,300
Nov 20, 2023
9
BILLINGSLEY, LINDSAY
ALLIANCE RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE
Individual DALLAS, TX
$3,300
Dec 16, 2023
10
BILLINGSLEY, LINDSAY
ALLIANCE RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE
Individual DALLAS, TX
$3,300
Dec 16, 2023

Donor Network - Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA]

PACs
Organizations
Individuals
Politicians

Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.

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Showing 25 nodes and 33 connections

Total contributions: $497,070

Top Donors - Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA]

Showing top 21 donors by contribution amount

10 Orgs11 Individuals