For immediate release
January 25, 2018
Contact: Scott Tillman, U.S. Term Limits
Phone: 207-713-8700
U.S. Term Limits Commends Twelve AZ State Legislators for Signing Pledge
Mesa, AZ – U.S. Term Limits (USTL), the leader in the non-partisan, national movement to limit terms for elected officials, commends four Arizona state senators, from both sides of the aisle, for signing its Article V pledge. Andrea Dalessandro (D-Green Valley), Sean Bowie (D-Ahwatukee), Steve Smith (R-Maricopa), and Warren Petersen (R -Gilbert) have all pledged to support a resolution applying for a congressional term limits convention. In addition to signing the Term Limits Convention pledge, last week, Petersen sponsored SCR-1005, a resolution applying for a Term Limits Convention, with strong bipartisan support.
Pledge signers in the Arizona House include Travis Grantham (HD-12), Paul Boyer (HD-20), Kevin Payne (HD-21), David Livingston (HD-22), Ben Toma (HD-22), David L. Cook (HD-8), Darin Mitchell (HD-13), and Paul Mosley (HD-5). In addition, two candidates for the state legislature have also signed the pledge. They are Shawnna Bolick and Gavan Searles.
USTL President, Philip Blumel, commented on the pledges saying, “The strong support of congressional term limits in the Arizona state legislature shows that there are lawmakers who are willing work together and listen to the majority of voters who want term limits. America needs a Congress that will be served by citizen legislators, not career politicians.”
The U.S. Term Limits Amendment Pledge is provided to candidates and members of the state legislatures. It reads, “I pledge, that as a member of the state legislature, I will support and vote for the resolution applying for an Article V convention for the limited purpose of enacting term limits on Congress.”
In the 1995 case, Thornton v. U.S. Term Limits, the Supreme Court of the United States opined that only a Constitutional Amendment could limit the terms of U.S. Senators and House Representatives. According to Nick Tomboulides, Executive Director of USTL, the best chance of imposing term limits on congress is through an Article V Convention of state legislatures. “While we’d like for Congress to take the high road and impose limits on itself, our goal is to trigger the a national term limits proposal convention,” claims Tomboulides. “That is why it is important to get buy-in from state legislators,” he added. Once proposed, the amendment must be ratified by 38 states.
Blumel noted, “More than 75% of Americans have rejected the career politician model and want to replace it with citizen leadership. The way to achieve that goal is through a congressional term limits amendment. Dalessandro, Bowie, Smith, and Petersen all know this and are willing to work to make sure we reach our goal.”
According to the last nationwide poll on term limits conducted by Gallup, the issue enjoys wide bipartisan support. The results demonstrate that 75% of Americans support congressional term limits. Gallup’s analysis states, “Republicans and Independents are slightly more likely than Democrats to favor term limits; nevertheless, the vast majority of all party groups agree on the issue. Further, Gallup finds no generational differences in support for the proposal.”
View Rep. Bollick’s signed pledge.
View Boyer’s signed pledge
View Sen. Bowie’s signed pledge.
View Rep. Cook’s signed pledge
View Sen. Dalessandro’s signed pledge.
View Rep. Grantham’s signed pledge.
View Rep. Payne’s signed pledge.
View Sen. Petersen’s signed pledge.
View Livingston’s signed pledge
View Mitchell’s signed pledge
View Mosley’s signed pledge
View Rep. Searless’s signed pledge.
View Sen. Smith’s signed pledge.
View Toma’s signed pledge
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