Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to limit the number of terms that a Member of Congress may serve.
Description
This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to limit service to two terms for Senators and three terms for Representatives.
Summary
What it does
This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to establish term limits for members of Congress. Under the proposal, individuals would be limited to serving two terms in the Senate and three terms in the House of Representatives. For the amendment to take effect, it must be approved by two-thirds of both chambers of Congress and ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures within seven years.
Who is affected
This resolution directly affects individuals serving in or seeking election to the United States Congress by establishing lifetime limits on their service. Specifically, it impacts members of the Senate by making them ineligible for office after two terms and members of the House of Representatives after three terms. Additionally, the proposal involves state legislatures, as three-fourths of the states must ratify the amendment within seven years for it to take effect.
Key provisions
- Senate term limits. Prohibits any individual from being elected or appointed to the U.S. Senate if they have already served two terms as a Senator.
- House of Representatives term limits. Prohibits any individual from being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives if they have already served three terms as a Member of the House.
- Ratification requirements. Specifies that the proposed constitutional amendment must be ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states within seven years of its submission to be valid.
Fiscal impact
Not applicable: No CBO cost estimate available
Effective dates
The proposed amendment would become valid once ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states within seven years of its submission for ratification.
Relationship to existing law
This joint resolution proposes a formal amendment to the Constitution of the United States, utilizing the amendment process established under Article V. If ratified, it would create new constitutional limits on congressional service that do not exist under current law.
Stated purpose
This joint resolution proposes an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to establish term limits for members of Congress, specifically restricting individuals to two terms in the Senate and three terms in the House of Representatives.