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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Our nation's founders well understood the |
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importance of maintaining a close connection between government and |
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the people it serves, and therefore favored the concept of term |
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limits, then known as "rotation in office"; and |
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WHEREAS, In the First Continental Congress, Thomas Jefferson |
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proposed limiting congressional tenure "to prevent every danger |
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which might arise to American freedom by continuing too long in |
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office the members of the Continental Congress," a principle |
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supported by Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, John Adams, and |
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others; accordingly, Article V of the Articles of Confederation |
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limited each delegate to no more than three years in office in any |
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six-year period, and George Washington enshrined this principle by |
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serving only two terms as president; with the concept of rotation in |
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office already becoming well-established among members of |
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Congress, mention of term limits was omitted in the United States |
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Constitution; and |
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WHEREAS, Most members of Congress served but one or two terms |
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until after the Civil War; by the time of the New Deal, only about a |
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quarter of incoming members of any Congress were freshmen, and in |
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the past decade, reelection rates in the house have hovered at |
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around 96 percent; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1951, the United States Constitution was amended |
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to limit presidents to two terms; many political scientists have |
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since observed that the institution of congressional term limits |
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could cure the resulting imbalance between these two branches of |
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federal government, and the American public has expressed wide |
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support for such limits; voters in almost two dozen states approved |
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term limits for their officials during the 1990s, and in a recent |
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poll by a prominent news organization, almost 8 in 10 registered |
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voters expressed support for a cap on tenure by their congressional |
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representatives; other polls have expressed similar |
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dissatisfaction with the status quo; and |
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WHEREAS, The institution of term limits will ensure |
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competitive elections and bring new ideas and fresh perspectives to |
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a Congress that is made up of citizen legislators rather than career |
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politicians; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to propose and |
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submit to the states for ratification an amendment to the United |
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States Constitution to impose a limit of four two-year terms on |
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members of the House of Representatives; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the president of the Senate and speaker of the House of |
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Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |