For immediate release
March 22, 2021
Contact: Aaron Dukette, U.S. Term Limits
Phone: 859-779-0181
adukette@termlimits.org
West Virginia Legislature Passes Term Limits on Congress Resolution
Charleston, WV — Today, the West Virginia Senate passed HCR9, a resolution applying for a national convention to propose term limits on Congress. Since the state house passed the same measure last week, West Virginia becomes the fourth state to pass the term limits only application following the lead of Florida, Alabama and Missouri.
The application is officially heading to Congress to be counted towards the 34 state applications required to call a term limits convention. The effort was sponsored by West Virginia state Senator Randy Smith and house Delegate Jeff Pack. This success is part of a national, nonpartisan movement led by U.S. Term Limits to fight careerism in Washington, D.C.
Senator Randy Smith commented on the victory, “I’m glad to see West Virginia moved one step closer to reeling in career politicians and a runaway Congress by passing HCR9 this morning and sending a message to D.C. that a majority of the citizens in this state are fed up with their deaf ear to we the people.”
“After two years of partial success, the West Virginia Legislature has finally passed our US Term Limits Resolution. HCR9 is in response to the majority of West Virginians who have demanded their legislature take action to rein in the federal government,” said Del. Pack. “We are now one state closer to limiting the number of terms members of Congress may serve. This is a necessary first step in controlling the runaway federal government. I thank all of the members who cosponsored this amendment and all of those who voted for it,” Pack concludes.
Article V of the U.S. Constitution provides state legislators with the power to impose term limits on Congress without congressional approval. For the term limits amendment convention to be called, 34 states must pass similar resolutions. Once a term limits amendment is proposed, 38 states must ratify it for it to be added to the U.S. Constitution. This process allows the states to completely bypass Congress.
The President of U.S. Term Limits, Philip Blumel said “Eighty percent of Americans support term limits on Congress, including huge majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents. This is a rare, truly nonpartisan issue with national appeal.” HCR9 was supported by both Democrats and Republicans and passed easily through both chambers of the West Virginia Senate.
“Senator Smith and House Delegate Pack have been an integral part of the process in West Virginia. Their efforts helped make West Virginia the fourth state in the nation to call for a convention for the exclusive purpose of proposing term limits on Congress,” Blumel added. “Other battleground states are well on their way to passing this important election reform. The progress here today has laid the groundwork for future successes.”
###
_______________________
U.S. Term Limits is the largest grassroots term limits advocacy group in the country. We connect term limits supporters with their legislators and work to pass term limits at all levels of government, particularly on the U.S. Congress. Find out more at termlimits.org.