Should Members Of Congress Have Term Limits (Unless They're In Congress Now)? (H. Joint Res. 49)
Do you support or oppose this bill?
What is H. Joint Res. 49?
(Updated January 15, 2020)
This joint resolution would change the United States Constitution to limit members of Congress to serving no more than three terms in the
House, and no more than two terms in the Senate. Under these changes, current members of Congress would be exempt from the term limits.
This means that no one could serve in Congress longer than six years as a Representative or 12 years as a Senator.
While lawmakers could serve an additional consecutive term in either the
House or Senate to fill a vacated seat, it would count as a full-term
against their limit if they serve more than one year of a House term or
three years of a Senate term.
Because it's a joint resolution to amend the Constitution, this bill wouldn't require approval from the President. And, since states can't impose Congressional term limits on their officials, only an amendment to the Constitution can ensure term limits.
Currently, members of Congress do not have term limits. As long as they are re-elected to their positions — every two years in the House and every six years in the Senate — they can serve in Congress for as long as they are re-elected.
Argument in favor
Members of Congress have turned their public service into careers — their long legacies hinder Congress’ efficiency and taken power away from voters.
Argument opposed
If you don't like your elected officials — vote them out. Why should effective lawmakers have to leave the progress their making to comply with the term limits?
Impact
U.S. taxpayers, potential candidates for congressional elections, incumbent members of Congress, and the U.S. political sphere.
Cost of H. Joint Res. 49
A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.
Additional Info
In-Depth: In introducing this novel approach to term limit legislation, Rep. Rob DeSantis (R-FL) is optimistic about aligning the interests of incumbent politicians who don't want a self-imposed retirement with a general public that wants new blood in Congress.
By gradually implementing term limits, and allowing the members of Congress who would approve this legislation to impose them — Rep. DeSantis hopes to get both the public and the political class on board. He points out :
"Americans of all political backgrounds overwhelmingly support term limits, yet term limits have floundered in Congress. An approach that phases in congressional term limits reconciles the self-interest of members of Congress with the public's desire to see these changes enacted and gives us the best chance to make term limits a reality."
Of Note: The debate over term limits is one of the oldest sore points in U.S. political history — in fact, it's a debate that pre-dates the Constitution. In the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776, members of the state assembly were limited to serving "four years in seven."
Term limits for members of Congress most recently became a significant issue in 1994 when 22 states had term limits for their congressional delegations. The U.S. Supreme Court then struck down state-imposed term limits that are stricter than what is found in the Constitution in the case . The issue resurfaced in 2012 when the Senate rejected a non-binding resolution suggesting that the Constitution should be amended to put in place term limits in a 24-75 vote.
Summary by Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Flickr user CircaSassy)
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