U.S. Term Limits applauds congressional members willing to term limit Congress

Washington, D.C. – The largest and oldest organization dedicated exclusively to limiting the terms of elected officials, U.S. Term Limits is grateful to politicians in Congress who back term limits for their own 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 12 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 six senators signed on to the measure with at least 11 more expected to join as cosponsors.

House Joint Resolution 12 (HJR12), sponsored by South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman, has a total of 44 members on board with another 31 house members pledged to cosponsor. All-in-all, support is expected to exceed 100 members during the 117th Congress.

Senator Todd Young is one of the original cosponsors of SJR3. He said that "placing term limits on the federal legislative branch will bring fresh perspectives to Congress and ensure that our nation's leaders are in touch with the lives, needs and aspirations of the people they represent."

"Support for term limits in Congress has never been as fervent as it is now," says Nicolas Tomboulides, Executive Director of U.S. Term Limits. He added, "these politicians have the guts to admit the institution is broken and know the solution is a congressional term limits amendment."

According to the last nationwide poll on term limits conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, term limits enjoy wide bipartisan support. McLaughlin’s analysis said, “Support for term limits is broad and strong across all political, geographic and demographic groups. An overwhelming 79% 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.

U.S. Term Limits is the oldest and largest grassroots term limits advocacy group in the country. It connects term limits supporters with their legislators and works to pass term limits on all elected officials, particularly on the U.S. Congress. Find out more at termlimits.com.