REFERENCE TITLE: article V convention; term limits

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-fourth Legislature

Second Regular Session

2020

HCR 2016

Introduced by

Representative Townsend

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

applying to the congress of the united states to call a convention for proposing an amendment to the constitution of the united states to set term limits for United States representatives and united States senators.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Whereas, article V of the Constitution of the United States provides that Congress must call a convention for the purpose of proposing an amendment to the Constitution on application by at least two-thirds of the states demanding such action; and

Whereas, the Legislature of the State of Arizona hereby joins with other states in asserting rights and responsibilities under article V of the Constitution of the United States with regard to proposing amendments; and

Whereas, the citizens of Arizona and 22 other states, having passed statutes or state constitutional amendments limiting ballot access to congressional candidates on the basis of terms previously served in Congress, were overruled by the Supreme Court of the United States; and

Whereas, the Arizona Legislature, a body of citizen legislators, desires to restore rotation in office for members serving in the Congress of the United States.

Therefore

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring:

1.  That, pursuant to article V of the Constitution of the United States, the Legislature of the State of Arizona formally applies to the Congress of the United States to call a convention limited to proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to set a limit on the number of terms a person may be elected as a Member of the United States House of Representatives and as a Member of the United States Senate.

2.  That this application be considered as covering the same subject matter as the applications from other states to Congress to call a convention to set a limit on the number of terms that a person may be elected to the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and that this application be combined with the applications of other states for the purpose of attaining the two-thirds of states necessary to require Congress to call a limited convention for the purpose of setting term limits on the members of Congress, but that this application not be combined with any other application on any other subject.

3.  That this resolution constitutes a continuing application in accordance with article V of the Constitution of the United States until the legislatures of at least two-thirds of the states have made applications on the same subject.

4.  That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona transmit copies of this Resolution to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Secretary of the United States Senate, the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, the Chairperson of the House Committee on Judiciary, each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona and the presiding officer of each legislative house in each state, requesting their cooperation.