Topeka, KS — The Kansas House Federal and State Affairs Committee passed House Concurrent Resolution 5001 (HCR5001), which proposes a congressional term limits amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The effort, led by Representative Bill Sutton (district 43) and spearheaded by the nonpartisan nonprofit U.S. Term Limits, passed by a unanimous yea voice vote.
As U.S. Term Limits’ President Philip Blumel put it, “The people of Kansas 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.”
It is clear that the people of Kansas agree. According to the latest RMG Research poll, 80% of likely voters in Kansas support term limits on Congress, including strong support among Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike.
Kansas State Chair, Sara Hart Weir, says “I would like to thank the House Federal and State Affairs Committee for their support and passing this critical resolution.”
HCR5001 has the support of more than 80 legislators who have signed the term limits pledge, promising to support the congressional term limits effort. The next step will be a vote in the entire house chamber. Once the measure passes in both chambers, Kansas will be in the forefront of the states in the nation to file an application for a convention with the exclusive purpose of proposing term limits on the U.S. Congress.
After 34 state legislatures pass similar resolutions on the topic, and the term limits amendment approved, it must be ratified by 38 states to become part of the U.S. Constitution. We’re one step closer to bringing back citizen legislators to Congress and restoring trust in the democratic process.
Earl Watt is the owner and publisher of the Leader & Times in Liberal, Kansas. Watt started his career in journalism in 1991 at the Southwest Daily Times. During his career, the newspaper has won a total of 17 Sweepstakes awards from the Kansas Press Association for editorial content and 18 Sweepstakes awards for advertising. Watt has been recognized with more than 70 first place awards for writing in categories from sports and column to best front pages, best sports pages and best opinion pages. Watt is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and is the descendant of several patriots who fought for America's freedom and independence.
