For immediate release
January 31, 2018
Contact: Ken Quinn, U.S. Term Limits
Phone: (207) 713-8700
kquinn@termlimits.com
Term Limits Convention Resolution Filed in Missouri
Washington, D.C. — The Missouri Senate filed a resolution applying to participate in a national Term Limits Convention. The Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR-40) is sponsored by State Sen. Denny Hoskins of District 21. The move follows a similar resolution (HCR-55) introduced in the Missouri House this session by Representative Chuck Basye of District 47.
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 concurrent resolutions for working on such an important issue. Blumel said that “The people of Missouri 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 receive 89% support from Republicans, 83% support from Independents and 76% support from Democrats nationwide, according to the most recent national poll by McLaughlin & Associates.
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.
SCR-40, introduced today in the Senate, is pending committee assignment. HCR-55 is slated to make its first committee stop in front of the Special Committee on Government Oversight before it makes its way to the floor for a full vote by the Missouri House.
If passed in both chambers this session, Missouri will be among the first states in the nation to file an application for 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.
Last week, a similar application passed the Alabama state legislature.
Read the status of SCR-40 here.
Read the status of HCR-55 here.
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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.
