Term Limits for Members of Congress: Issues in the 106th Congress (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Nov. 20, 2000 |
| Report Number |
RS20543 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Sula P. Richardson, Government and Finance Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
Congressional efforts to limit federal lawmakers' tenure have waned since 1997, but supporters'
differing strategies, various service limits at the federal and state levels, and the most recent general
election are keeping the issue alive. Some proponents have changed their goal from mandatory
limits through a constitutional amendment to voluntary limits through candidates' pledges to limit
their own tenure. Fifty-nine Members of the 106th Congress have pledged to limit their service,
including 10 who will reach their self-imposed limit at the end of this Congress. House Members
who have served as chair of the same committee or subcommittee since 1995 will also reach the 6-
year chairmanship limit established in House rules since 1995. At the state level, a total of 373 state
legislators (in 12 of the 19 states that limit their state lawmakers' service) were ineligible for
reelection in 2000. Term limits were also an issue in the 2000 general election. Some proponents
were committed to recruiting and supporting candidates who pledged to limit their own tenure, and
to campaigning against those who did not take the pledge or who took the pledge but broke it. This
report will be updated as events warrant during106th Congress.
