By Chisum H.J.R. No. 22
74R340 CCK-D
A JOINT RESOLUTION
1-1 applying to the Congress of the United States to call a convention
1-2 for the specific and exclusive purpose of proposing an amendment to
1-3 the Constitution of the United States to limit to two the number of
1-4 terms that a member of the United States Senate may serve and to
1-5 limit to six the number of terms that a member of the United States
1-6 House of Representatives may serve.
1-7 WHEREAS, In recent years, Americans have shown support for
1-8 limiting the number of terms that their lawmakers may serve, as
1-9 evidenced by opinion polls showing as many as 70 percent of
1-10 respondents in favor of such limitations; and
1-11 WHEREAS, The wisdom of term limitations for holders of
1-12 national office has been reflected since 1951 in the 22nd Amendment
1-13 to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the president
1-14 from being elected chief executive more than twice; and
1-15 WHEREAS, Term limitations for members of the United States
1-16 Congress would help to reduce unwarranted advantages of incumbency,
1-17 restore greater balance to campaign financing, and give voters a
1-18 better opportunity to weigh the relative merits of office seekers;
1-19 and
1-20 WHEREAS, Increased turnover in the congress also would ensure
1-21 greater participation in the governance of our nation by replacing
1-22 career politicians with citizen legislators who would bring to the
1-23 corridors of public office the experience gained in other
1-24 professions and occupations; and
2-1 WHEREAS, Term limitations would reduce the preoccupation of
2-2 incumbents with reelection, lessening their tendency toward risk
2-3 avoidance and freeing them to more openly entertain and contemplate
2-4 fresh views and ideas; and
2-5 WHEREAS, Recognizing these virtues of term limitations, 15
2-6 states have adopted initiatives to limit congressional terms of
2-7 office, and the time is opportune to examine more fully whether
2-8 such limitations should be extended to the members of the congress
2-9 from all 50 states uniformly; now, therefore, be it
2-10 RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas,
2-11 Regular Session, 1995, hereby make application to the United States
2-12 Congress to propose and submit to the states an amendment to the
2-13 United States Constitution to limit members of the United States
2-14 Senate to two terms in office and members of the United States
2-15 House of Representatives to six terms in office or, alternatively,
2-16 to call a convention under Article V of the United States
2-17 Constitution for the sole, specific, and exclusive purpose of
2-18 proposing such an amendment; and, be it further
2-19 RESOLVED, That, except as otherwise provided in this
2-20 resolution, this application by the Texas Legislature constitute a
2-21 continuing application in accordance with Article V of the United
2-22 States Constitution until at least two-thirds of the legislatures
2-23 of the several states have made application for a convention to
2-24 propose a congressional term limitation amendment; and, be it
2-25 further
2-26 RESOLVED, That this application for a constitutional
2-27 convention on the subject of congressional term limitations be
3-1 automatically rescinded if:
3-2 (1) the United States Congress adopts, before 90 days
3-3 after the legislatures of two-thirds of the states have made
3-4 application for a convention, an amendment to the United States
3-5 Constitution containing provisions similar in subject matter to
3-6 this request;
3-7 (2) the United States Supreme Court holds that the
3-8 United States Congress cannot call a constitutional convention
3-9 limited solely and exclusively to that subject matter; or
3-10 (3) a convention called pursuant to this resolution
3-11 otherwise transcends that limited subject matter; and, be it
3-12 further
3-13 RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
3-14 copies of this resolution to the vice-president of the United
3-15 States, to the speaker of the United States House of
3-16 Representatives, and to all members of the Texas delegation to the
3-17 congress, with the request that this resolution be entered
3-18 officially in the Congressional Record as an application to the
3-19 Congress of the United States of America for a convention to
3-20 propose a federal constitutional amendment to limit congressional
3-21 terms of office; and, be it further
3-22 RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared
3-23 for the presiding officers of the legislatures of the other states
3-24 for their consideration.