For immediate release
August 16, 2022
Contact: Stacey Selleck, U.S. Term Limits
Phone: 202-261-3532
press@termlimits.com
U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores Cosponsors Proposal to Term Limit Congress
Washington, D.C. ~ This week, U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores of Texas cosponsored House Joint Resolution 12 (HJR12) proposing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution for term limits on Congress. U.S. Term Limits, the largest and oldest organization dedicated exclusively to limiting the terms of elected officials, is grateful to Flores for backing term limits on congressional offices. Who else would know better than incumbent members that term limits are an important and necessary reform to fix a dysfunctional federal institution?
Two resolutions have been introduced in Congress calling for twelve years maximum in the U.S. Senate and six years total in the U.S. House of Representatives. Senate Joint Resolution 3 (SJR3), sponsored by Texas Senator Ted Cruz has fifteen senators signed on as cosponsors.
House Joint Resolution 12 (HJR12), sponsored by South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman has a total of 81 House members on board. Support is expected to exceed 100 Congress members during the 117th Congress.
“Support for term limits on Congress has never been as fervent as it is now,” says Nicolas Tomboulides, Executive Director of U.S. Term Limits. He added, “We are grateful to Rep. Flores for having the guts to admit the institution is broken and taking action on this important congressional term limits amendment.”
According to the last nationwide poll on term limits conducted by Scott Rasmussen, term limits enjoy wide bipartisan support. Rasmussen’s analysis states, “Support for term limits is broad and strong across all political, geographic and demographic groups. An overwhelming 82% of voters approve of a constitutional amendment that will place term limits on members of Congress.”
SJR3 and HJR12 specify that the clocks of current members would not start ticking until after 38 states ratify the proposal. It details that “no term beginning before the date of the ratification of this article shall be taken into account in determining eligibility for election or appointment under this article.”
In 1995, the Supreme Court ruled in U.S. Term Limits Inc. v. Thornton that states may not impose qualifications for members of Congress that are stricter than those written in the Constitution. Therefore, the only way to impose term limits on Congress would be through a constitutional amendment. Article V of the U.S. Constitution specifies that amendments may be proposed either by Congress or the states, both paths are being pursued as part of the U.S. Term Limits mission.
USTL does not require pledge signers to limit themselves absent an amendment to the Constitution.
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U.S. Term Limits is the oldest and largest grassroots term limits advocacy group in the country. We connect term limits supporters with their legislators and work to pass term limits on all elected officials, particularly on the U.S. Congress. Find out more at termlimits.com.