Dear Mr. Miller, Thank you for contacting me about congressional term limits. I appreciate hearing from you on this important matter and sincerely regret the delayed response. On January 23, 2013 Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would impose limit terms for members of Congress (S.J. Res. 2). This legislation has been referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, where it is currently awaiting further review. If ratified, this resolution would amend the Constitution to limit the number of terms that a member of Congress may serve. The proposed term limits in the House of Representatives would be three terms and two terms in the Senate. In order for the proposed amendment to the Constitution to be ratified, it would require the support of two-thirds of each House of Congress and ratification by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states. While I understand your concern about unlimited terms in Congress, I believe that Congressional term limits would create unnecessary limitations and restrict the free will of the voters. Congressional membership changes every two years, and new members make vital contributions to the legislative process. That said, the United States Congress is run by the members, with no central power, and experienced leadership is often helpful to the efficiency of the body. Furthermore, the legislative experience and accumulated knowledge of multi-term members can be critical to drafting and passing of complex federal legislation. Ultimately, the time any Senator or Representative spends in office is dependent on the American voters. Every two years, Americans have the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to elect their Congressional representatives. Senators are elected every six years. Members of Congress who serve for many terms do so only by the reasoned judgment of the voters they represent. Thank you again for contacting me to share your thoughts on this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of further assistance. Sincerely, Maria Cantwell United States Senator
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 22:18:14 +0000
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