For immediate release
December 22, 2021
Contact: Aaron Dukette, U.S. Term Limits
Phone: (859) 779-0181
adukette@termlimits.com
Term Limits Convention Resolution Filed in South Dakota
Washington, D.C. — South Dakota state Senator Erin Tobin (district 21) has pre-filed a resolution applying to participate in a single-topic convention to propose a congressional term limits amendment. Senate Joint Resolution 501 (SJR501) will also be sponsored in the South Dakota House by Rep. Greg Jamison of district 12.
By using Article V of the U.S. Constitution, 34 state legislatures can team up for a convention to propose a congressional term limits amendment. The Term Limits Convention initiative is being spearheaded by the nonpartisan, grassroots nonprofit advocacy group U.S. Term Limits.
The President of U.S. Term Limits, Philip Blumel commended the sponsors of the joint resolution for working on such an important issue. Blumel said, “The people of South Dakota are lucky to have public servants who see what is going on in Washington, D.C. and are willing to take action to fix it. By using Article V to term limit Congress, they can restore balance between states and the federal government as our Founders intended.”
Blumel also noted the high popularity of congressional term limits, which receives 87% support from Republicans, 83% support from Democrats and 75% support from Independents nationwide, according to the most recent national poll by Scott Rasmussen.
In the 1990s, U.S. Term Limits assisted in successful campaigns to term limit 23 states’ congressional delegations by individual ballot measures. The Supreme Court ruled in the 1995 case U.S. Term Limits v. Thornton that these measures were unconstitutional, and that congressional term limits may only be imposed by constitutional amendment.
Once SJR 501 passes both chambers of the state legislature this session, South Dakota will put Washington, D.C. on notice that it intends to join other states in calling for a convention for the exclusive purpose of proposing term limits on the U.S. Congress. Once 34 state legislatures apply for the convention and approve a term limits amendment proposal, it must be ratified by 38 states to become part of the U.S. Constitution.
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US Term Limits is the largest grassroots advocacy group focused solely on implementing term limits at all levels of government, but particularly on the U.S. Congress. Find out more at termlimits.org.
