March 3, 2023
Contact: Scott Tillman, U.S. Term Limits
Phone: (321) 345-7455
stillman@termlimits.com
John T. Williams Pledges to Support Congressional Term Limits
Hernando, MS – U.S. Term Limits (USTL), the non-partisan organization leading the national movement to limit terms for elected officials, is gaining support from state lawmakers across the country. USTL’s goal is to secure 34 states to apply for an amendment proposal convention focused on term limits on Congress. John T. Williams, a Mississippi state house candidate in district 28, has committed his support for term limits on Congress by signing the Term Limits Convention pledge.
USTL President, Philip Blumel, praised Williams for his pledge, saying it shows that there are individuals willing to listen to the majority of voters who want term limits. Blumel added that America needs a Congress served by citizen legislators, not career politicians.
The Term Limits pledge is given to candidates and state legislators. It reads, “I pledge that, as a member of the state legislature, I will cosponsor, vote for, and defend 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 ruled that only a Constitutional Amendment could limit the terms of U.S. Senators and House Representatives. Nick Tomboulides, Executive Director of USTL, believes that the best chance of imposing term limits on Congress is through an Article V Proposal Convention of state legislatures.
Tomboulides claims that the Constitution allows for amendments to be proposed by either 2/3 of Congress or 2/3 of the states. While he would prefer Congress to propose term limits on itself, their goal is to trigger the latter, a national convention focused on a term limits amendment. Tomboulides adds that getting buy-in from state legislators is essential, and once proposed, the amendment must be ratified by 38 states.
USTL Executive Director, Nick Tomboulides, notes that “More than 80% 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. John knows this and is willing to work to make sure we reach our goal.”
A recent nationwide poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associates shows that term limits enjoy bipartisan support. McLaughlin’s analysis states, “Support for term limits is broad and strong across all political, geographic and demographic groups. An overwhelming 82% of voters approve of a Constitutional Amendment that will place term limits on members of Congress.”
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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 on all elected officials, particularly on the U.S. Congress. Find out more at termlimits.org.
