For immediate release
February 19, 2021
Contact: Ron Hooper
Email: rhooper@termlimits.com
Phone: (202) 261-3532
North Dakota Committee Passes Resolution for Congressional Term Limits
Bismarck, ND – Today, the resolution for congressional term limits passed the North Dakota House Government and Veterans Affairs Committee. HCR3033, by a vote of 9-5. The nonpartisan resolution is sponsored by Rep. Ben Koppelman with the encouragment of the nonprofit advocacy organization U.S. Term Limits (USTL).
The committee members cited both the current dysfunction of Congress and the high polling results in support of term limits among the voters in the North Dakota.
According to the lastest poll on term limits conducted by Pulse Research, 82% of North Dakota voters want to see congressional term limits, including 86% of Republicans, 80% of Democrats and 77% of Independents. They also want the state legislature to pass a resolution for the states to propose a term limits on Congress amendment.
Through Article V of the U.S. Constitution, 34 state legislatures may team up for a convention to propose a congressional term limits amendment to the Constitution.
According to Nick Tomboulides, Executive Director of USTL, “There are two ways to propose an amendment for term limits: through the Congress or through the states at a national convention. That is why it is important to get support from state legislators to call for a convention to discuss the details of the term limits amendment.”
Once proposed, the measure must be ratified by 38 states in order to become part of the U.S. Constitution.
U.S. Term Limits President Philip Blumel commended Representative Ben Koppelman, for putting forth the legislation. Blumel said, “The people of North Dakota are lucky to have public servants who see what is going on in D.C. and are willing to take action to fix it. They know that Congress won’t set term limits on itself. Therefore, it is the obligation of the states to do so.”
The next stop for HCR3033 is the floor of the North Dakota House. If passed in both the house and senate this session, North Dakota will join other states in the call to convene the states for the exclusive purpose of proposing term limits on the U.S. Congress. Once 34 state legislatures pass similar resolutions on the topic and approve the term limits amendment, it must be ratified by 38 states to become part of the U.S. Constitution.
There are fifteen states that have passed resolutions for a national amendment proposal convention specifically naming term limits in the subject. In a divided political climate, term limits for Congress is the one true, non-partisan issue that voters from all political ideologies support overwhelmingly.
Read the text of HCR3033 here.
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U.S. Term Limits is the largest and oldest term limits advocacy group in the country. We connect term limits supporters with their legislators and work to pass term limits on all elected officials, particularly on the U.S. Congress. Find out more at termlimits.org.