Madison, WI — The Government Operations Committee of the Wisconsin senate just passed SJR12 for a national convention to propose term limits on Congress. Sen. Duey Stroebel (district 20) is sponsoring the election reform resolution. Under Article V of the Constitution of the United States, state legislatures may team up to propose a congressional term limits amendment to the Constitution. The effort is being spearheaded by the nonpartisan, grassroots nonprofit, U.S. Term Limits.
Stroebel stated, “With each passing decade, our country has drifted further and further away from the citizen legislature and limited central government envisioned during the founding era. It’s time for state legislatures to convene under Article V of the U.S. Constitution for the purpose of imposing term limits on members of Congress and restoring the accountability and public trust that has been lost in our federal legislature.”
According to a recent poll by McLaughlin & Associates, 74% of likely voters in Wisconsin support term limits on Congress, including strong support across partly lines. 82% of Republicans, 69% of Democrats, and 74% of independents of those surveyed support the reform.
U.S. Term Limits’ President Philip Blumel commended Sen. Stroebel for putting forth the legislation. Blumel said, “Sen. Stroebel sees what is going on in D.C. and is willing to take bold action to fix it. He knows that Congress won’t set term limits on itself, therefore, it is the obligation of the states to do so.”
AJR16, the sister resolution in the state house sponsored by Rep. Timothy Ramthun (District 59), is scheduled for a committee vote next week. If passed in the state house and senate chambers, Wisconsin will join other states at a national convention to propose a term limits on Congress amendment. Thirty-four state legislatures are required to call the convention. The amendment must then be ratified by 38 states to become part of the U.S. Constitution.
