State Would Invoke an Article V Convention of the States to Rein in Congress
The Florida House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a resolution calling for an Article V convention for the purpose of imposing term limits on members of Congress. House Memorial 419 (HM 419) passed on a voice vote. Florida may become the first state to pass an Article V convention resolution for congressional term limits if the state’s Senate passes HM 419.
The following statements from constitutional reform policy experts at The Heartland Institute – a free-market think tank – may be used for attribution. For more comments, refer to the contact information below. To book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Director of Communications Jim Lakely at [email protected] and 312/377-4000.
“The Florida House of Representatives should be commended for passing a resolution calling for congressional term limits. The idea of term limits for members of Congress has earned broad, bi-partisan support over the years.
“Term limits on Congress will help improve the public’s attitude towards an American institution that currently has very low approval ratings. Legislatures in other states should be encouraged by what Florida has done and consider resolutions of their own.”
Kyle Maichle
Project Manager
Constitutional Reform
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
“The Florida House of Representatives’ approval of a resolution calling for a national constitutional convention to address the issue of term limits is a welcome sign of state lawmakers’ acceptance of the responsibility entrusted to them by the voters.
“By taking the first steps toward reforming Washington, DC, Florida lawmakers have taken the lead on putting America back on track. Term limits will make elected officials more responsive to the people in their districts, instead of DC lobbyists and other special interests. A limit on the amount of time lawmakers are in office is a limit on the amount of corruption lawmakers can accrue while in office – and also limits the advantages of incumbency lawmakers enjoy when it’s election season.
“Americans are very unhappy with their representation in DC, and a term-limit amendment to the Constitution is a sensible way to help get new blood in office and replace the ossified elites currently failing to represent Americans’ best interests.”
Jesse Hathaway
Managing Editor
Budget & Tax News
Research Fellow
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
“We applaud the citizen legislators of the Florida House who took the first step to implement term limits on the U.S. Congress.”
Nick Tomboulides
Executive Director
U.S. Term Limits
[email protected]
The Heartland Institute is a 32-year-old national nonprofit organization headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000.