For immediate release
January 22, 2020
Contact: Aaron Dukette, U.S. Term Limits
Phone: 859-779-0181
adukette@termlimits.com
West Virginia Senate Passes Resolution to Term Limit Congress
Charleston, WV — The West Virginia Senate just passed a resolution calling for the states to propose a congressional term limits amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Senate Concurrent Resolution 4 (SCR4), led by Senator Randy Smith, passed by a vote of 20 to 9 with 5 abstentions, receiving strong support from both sides of the aisle.
According to Sen. Smith, “Today’s vote was the right thing to do. Congress is a mess. If what’s happening now doesn’t concern you, then nothing will. This makes it so nobody can get that much power again. This is all about giving power back to the people.”
The concurrent resolution is moving swiftly through the W.V. House. Yesterday, Delegate Jeff Pack introduced HCR22 the sister resolution to the one that just passed the senate. The effort is being spearheaded by the nonpartisan, nonprofit U.S. Term Limits.
HCR22 has the bipartisan support of 43 cosponsors in the House. Nearly 60 West Virginia legislators have signed the term limits pledge promising to support the congressional term limits effort.
Last year, the measure passed the House but was prevented from receiving a floor vote in the senate when Sen. Romano (Clarksburg) filibustered for twenty minutes running the clock out on the last day of session.
“Today’s vital passage through the senate is vindication for the 81% of West Virginia term limits supporters who were denied a vote by Senator Romano last session,” says USTL WV State Director Aaron Dukette. He continued, “Let Congress be on notice that the states are coming to cut off the gravy train for professional politicians in D.C.”
The companion resolution is expected to pass the lower chamber swiftly. Once it does, West Virginia will have the distinction of being among the first states in the nation to file an application for the states to convene for the exclusive purpose of proposing term limits on the U.S. Congress. When 34 state legislatures pass similar resolutions on the topic, and subsequently approve the term limits amendment, it must be ratified by 38 states to become part of the U.S. 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.org.