Blog

Yesterday, I introduced my first piece of legislation for the new Congress. It calls for a Constitutional amendment to impose TERM LIMITS in the House and Senate, similar to what I’ve proposed previously.

This resolution calls for three terms in the House, and two in the Senate. Congress can certainly debate the appropriate number of terms, of course; this is a starting point for negotiations. As this effort gains traction, I’d imagine these limits could be adjusted upwards slightly, especially for the House.

Here’s the reality on term limits – two things are true:

1. I’ll be the first to admit there is some value to having members of Congress with experience up here on Capitol Hill. It takes a few years to develop that kind of “seasoning.” If term limits were too short, then unelected staff would have entirely too much influence and control.
2. However, the longer someone serves in this place, the more he/she becomes entrenched and disconnected. Service in Washington ought to be for a season, not a career. I believe you ought to serve for a reasonable period of time and then go home and live under the laws you made. 

I’ve got 43 original co-sponsors to this bipartisan resolution; that number should grow in the coming weeks and months. Also, thanks to the discussions last week during the House Speaker’s election, I do expect either my resolution or a similar effort to receive a vote in Congress this term. That's good news.