(The Center Square) – A group of Ohio lawmakers wants to change the U.S. Constitution to establish congressional term limits.
A proposal to ask for a federal convention of states to change the Constitution received its second hearing in the Ohio Senate on Wednesday.
Sponsoring Sens. Therese Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, and Jane Timken, R-Jackson Township, are using one of the country’s longest-serving congresswomen as an impetus for Senate Joint Resolution 6.
Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, has been reelected to serve 22 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing northwest Ohio since Jan. 3, 1983.
That’s too long, according to the two state senators.
“In 1982, Marcy Kaptur won her first election, being elected to the U.S House of Representatives in what was considered to be an upset,” the two recently said in committee testimony. “Fast forward over 42 years later, Marcy Kaptur just won her 22nd term. You heard that right, 22 terms in Congress. Not only is she the longest serving woman in the U.S House, but Marcy Kaptur is among the most senior members of Congress.”
They also pointed to Democrats like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has been in Congress for 37 years, and Chuck Schumer, who has 44 years in the Senate.
They didn’t mention Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who has spent 50 years representing Iowa, or Republican Rep. Hal Rogers, who has served in the U.S. House since 1981.
“A poll conducted by U.S. Term Limits found that an overwhelming 78% of Ohioans supported a Constitutional Amendment to place term limits on members of Congress,” Timken said in an email statement to The Center Square. “This amount of public support cannot be ignored. Article 5 of the U.S. Constitution requires congress to call a Constitutional Convention if at least two-thirds of states call for such a convention. Senate Joint Resolution 6 would make Ohio the 13th state to call for such a convention. Sixteen states currently have term limits for their state legislators, and the Congress should be no different. I sponsored Senate Joint Resolution 6 so that we can make use of the tools our Founding Fathers gave us and ensure our Congress is of, for, and by the people.”
Ohio state senators are limited to two consecutive years or eight consecutive years in office. However, there is no restriction on state lawmakers from serving the maximum in one chamber and being immediately elected to a position in the other, as House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, did recently.
Joint resolutions coming out of the Ohio General Assembly don’t carry the weight of law, but instead express sentiments of the chambers if passed.
