Holding introduces Constitutional Amendment limiting Congressional terms
Published January 18, 2019
by Rick Henderson, Editor-in-Chief of Carolina Journal, January 15, 2019.
Saying “It’s time for elected officials to start making a difference, not a career,” U.S. Rep. George Holding, R-2nd District, introduced an amendment Tuesday to the U.S. Constitution limiting terms of U.S. House and Senate members.
The amendment, if passed by two-thirds majorities in both chambers of Congress and three-quarters of state legislatures, would limit House members to six two-year terms and senators to two six-year terms.
During the early 1990s, voters in two dozen states used initiatives or referendums to limit congressional terms. A 5-4 majority of the U.S. Supreme Court ruled those limits unconstitutional, saying states can’t control the terms of federal officers.
The 1994 Contract with America, proposed by Republicans who took control of the U.S. House, included a promised constitutional amendment with language similar to Holding’s resolution, but the 1995 legislation failed to get the two-thirds vote needed in the House to bring the measure to the Senate, much less put it before state legislatures.
In a statement, Holding used the current partial government shutdown as reason to act.
“Since the government shutdown began, we’ve seen plenty of posturing and finger-pointing – but not much common sense,” Holding said. “Term limits will put an end to politics-as-usual in Washington, help restore a citizen legislature, and encourage elected officials to do what’s best for their constituents, instead of special interests.”
The text of the amendment also looks forward, not backward. The service time of any existing member of Congress would start at the time of ratification — meaning current House members and senators could serve an additional 12 years after the amendment took effect.
