For immediate release
January 29, 2025
Contact: Les Chamblee, U.S. Term Limits
lchamblee@termlimits.com
South Dakota House Committee Passes Resolution to Term Limit Congress
Pierre, SD — The South Dakota House State Affairs Committee passed House Joint Resolution 5002 (HJR5002), which proposes a congressional term limits amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The effort, led by Rep. Taylor Rae Rehfeldt and spearheaded by the nonpartisan nonprofit U.S. Term Limits, passed with a bipartisan vote of8 yeas and 4 nays.
As U.S. Term Limits’ President Philip Blumel put it, “The people of South Dakota are lucky to have public servants who see what is going on in D.C. and are willing to take action to fix it. They know that Congress won’t set term limits on itself. Therefore, it is the obligation of the states to do so.”
State Chair for U.S. Term Limits, Erin Tobin, says “I am happy to see this pass through the first legislative step. South Dakotans want term limits and our South Dakota legislators are delivering. Thank you!”
It is clear that the people of South Dakota agree. According to the latest RMG Research poll, 88% of likely voters in South Dakota support term limits on Congress, including strong support among Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike.
HJR5002 has bipartisan sponsorship and the support of more than 40 legislators who have signed the term limits pledge, promising to support the congressional term limits effort. The next step will be a vote on the house floor. Once the measure passes in both chambers, South Dakota will be in the forefront of the states in the nation to file an application for a convention with the exclusive purpose of proposing term limits on the U.S. Congress.
After 34 state legislatures pass similar resolutions on the topic, and the term limits amendment approved, it must be ratified by 38 states to become part of the U.S. Constitution. We’re one step closer to bringing back citizen legislators to Congress and restoring trust in the democratic process.
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U.S. Term Limits is the largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advocating solely on term limits. Our mission is to improve the quality of government with a citizen legislature that closely reflects its constituency and is responsive to the needs of the people it serves. U.S. Term Limits does not require a self-limit on individuals. Our aim is to limit the terms of all members of Congress as an institution. Find out more at termlimits.org.
*U.S. Term Limits does not endorse candidates. Candidates who sign the pledge endorse term limits.