For immediate release
January 24, 2018
Contact: Ken Quinn, U.S. Term Limits
Phone: (207) 713-8700
kquinn@termlimits.com
Vermont General Assembly Files Resolution for Article V Term Limits Convention
Yesterday, the Vermont General Assembly filed a joint resolution applying to participate in a national Term Limits Convention. 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 campaign was launched by the nonpartisan, grassroots nonprofit, U.S. Term Limits.
The joint resolution (J.R.H.11) is sponsored by Rep. Robert Helm (Rutland-3) with additional sponsors Rep. Robert Bancroft (Chittenden-8-3), Rep. Patrick Brennan (Chittenden-9-2), Rep. Lawrence Cupoli (Rutland-5-2), Rep. James Harrison (Rutland-Windsor-1), Rep. Michael Hebert (Windham-1), Rep. Patricia McCoy (Rutland-1), Rep. Brian K. Savage (Rutland-1), Rep. Charles “Butch” Shaw (Rutland-6), and Rep. Gary Viens (Orleans-2).
The President of U.S. Term Limits, Philip Blumel commended the cosponsors of J.R.H.11 for working together on such an important issue. Blumel said that “The people of Vermont are lucky to have public servants who see what is going on in Washington 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 receive 82% support from Republicans, 79% support from Independents and 65% support from Democrats nationwide, according to the most recent survey from Gallup.
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 can only be imposed by constitutional amendment.
J.R.H.11 is scheduled to make its first committee stop in front of the House Committee on Government Operations before it makes its way to the floor for a full vote by the General Assembly.
If successful, Vermont will be among the first states in the nation to pass an Article V resolution for the exclusive purpose of proposing term limits on the U.S. Congress. Once 34 state legislatures apply for the convention and approve the term limits amendment, it must be ratified by 38 states to become part of the U.S. Constitution.
U.S. Term Limits has spread its grassroots resources throughout the country. In addition to Vermont, the group is also targeting Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Colorado, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, Tennessee and Utah among others.
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