HJRES 12 · 119th CongressIn Committee

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to limit the number of terms that a Member of Congress may serve.

Latest updateJan 6, 2025

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Congress

Sponsor

Ralph Norman

Introduced

January 6, 2025

Latest action

January 6, 2025

Legislative Progress

How far this bill has traveled through Congress

Introduced

Bill filed in chamber

Committee

Reviewed & reported

Passed Chamber

House or Senate vote

Passed Both

House & Senate agree

President

Sent to White House

Enacted

Signed into law

Introduced

Bill filed in chamber

Committee

Reviewed & reported

Passed Chamber

House or Senate vote

Passed Both

House & Senate agree

President

Sent to White House

Enacted

Signed into law

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Plain-Language Summary

AI Generated

Currently, the Constitution places no limit on how many terms a member of Congress may serve. Senators and Representatives can run for reelection indefinitely, and many have served for decades. Some lawmakers have held office for 40 or more years. Proponents of term limits argue that long tenure concentrates power, reduces accountability, and discourages fresh perspectives. Critics counter that voters already impose term limits through elections and that experience provides legislative value.

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment that would restrict House members to three consecutive terms and Senators to two consecutive terms. The amendment defines a term as a full election cycle, though filling a vacancy counts as a term only if the member serves more than one year in the House or more than three years in the Senate. Congress must approve the amendment by a two-thirds majority in both chambers, after which it goes to the states for ratification. Three-fourths of state legislatures must ratify it within seven years for it to become part of the Constitution.

If ratified, the amendment would take effect immediately but would not apply retroactively to terms served before ratification. Current members would not be grandfathered in—only future service would count toward the limit. The change would reshape congressional dynamics by forcing regular turnover and potentially reducing the influence of senior lawmakers who currently chair committees and control legislative priorities. It would also likely increase campaign activity as open seats become more frequent, though the long-term effects on legislative effectiveness, institutional knowledge, and party power structures remain contested.

Key Provisions

1Prohibits any person who has served three terms in the House of Representatives from being eligible for election to that chamber, with vacancy-filling counted as one term if the person serves more than one year.
2Prohibits any person who has served two terms in the Senate from being eligible for election or appointment to that chamber, with vacancy-filling counted as one term if the person serves more than three years.
3Specifies that the amendment applies only to terms beginning after ratification, exempting all service completed before the amendment takes effect from the eligibility calculation.
4Requires approval by two-thirds of both the House and Senate before submission to the states, and mandates ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures within seven years to become valid.

★ Why this matters

If ratified, this amendment would fundamentally alter Congress by forcing regular turnover in membership and preventing any legislator from serving indefinitely. Open House seats would appear every six years and Senate seats every twelve years instead of remaining occupied until a member voluntarily retires or loses an election. Committee leadership and seniority-based power structures would shift more frequently. The amendment would not take effect retroactively, so current members would not be immediately affected, but all future service would count toward the limits.

● Who this affects

Current members of Congress would face the most direct impact once the amendment takes effect, as they would become ineligible after reaching the term limits. State legislators would gain power through their role in ratifying the amendment. Voters in each congressional district would experience more frequent open-seat elections and potentially greater candidate turnover. Political parties would need to develop new strategies for leadership succession and institutional continuity. Long-serving committee chairs and senior lawmakers would see their tenure capped, affecting their ability to direct federal spending and legislative priorities.

Bill Text

View on Congress.gov

Show / hide bill text preview

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 12

  Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to 
     limit the number of terms that a Member of Congress may serve.

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 6, 2025

 Mr. Norman (for himself, Mr. Allen, Ms. Mace, Mr. Brecheen, Mr. Self, 
  Mr. Rulli, Mr. Crank, Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia, Mrs. Fischbach, Mr. 
 Evans of Colorado, Mr. Davidson, Mr. Landsman, Mr. Perry, Mr. Taylor, 
   Mrs. Biggs of South Carolina, Mr. Bean of Florida, Ms. Perez, Mr. 
Ezell, Mr. Ogles, Mr. Moran, Mr. Biggs of Arizona, Mr. Golden of Maine, 
 Mr. Palmer, Mr. Roy, Mr. Strong, Mr. Moore of Utah, Mrs. Cammack, Mr. 
  Tiffany, and Mr. Barrett) submitted the following joint resolution; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

                            JOINT RESOLUTION

 
  Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to 
     limit the number of terms that a Member of Congress may serve.

    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled   (two-thirds of each House 
concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an 
amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be 
valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when 
ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States 
within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:

                              ``Article--

    ``Section 1. No person who has served 3 terms as a Representative 
shall be eligible for election to the House of Representatives. For 
purposes of this section, the election of a person to fill a vacancy in 
the House of Representatives shall be included as 1 term in determining 
the number of terms that such person has served as a Representative if 
the person fills the vacancy for more than 1 year.
    ``Section 2. No person who has served 2 terms as a Senator shall be 
eligible for election or appointment to the Senate. For purposes of 
this section, the election or appointment of a person to fill a vacancy 
in the Senate shall be included as 1 term in determining the number of 
terms that such person has served as a Senator if the person fills the 
vacancy for more than 3 years.
    ``Section 3. No term beginning before the date of the ratification 
of this article shall be taken into account in determining eligibility 
for election or appointment under this article.''.
                                 <all>

Auto-Whip

Where House representatives currently stand

Built from official statements, public releases, and voting records where they exist. Members without enough evidence are marked as no position.

448 tracked

Support

448

No Position

Oppose

Support

Members whose public record points toward backing the bill.

No members in this group yet.

Opposition

Members whose public record points toward opposition.

No members in this group yet.

No Position

Members we are still tracking, but without enough public evidence yet.

448

Brendan Boyle

D-Pennsylvania · District 2

No position

The public record contains no explicit statements about term limits legislation or constitutional amendments regarding congressional term limits. The content focuses on constituent services, local funding announcements, and specific policy issues (healthcare, gas prices, lung cancer research, etc.). While Rep. Boyle is noted as Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee and shows interest in 'Government Reform,' this alone does not indicate a clear position on term limits. As a Democrat from Pennsylvania, typical party positions would suggest skepticism toward term limit amendments (historically a more conservative proposal), but without explicit evidence of his voting record or stated position on this specific bill, a neutral stance with low confidence is most appropriate.

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to limit the number of terms that a Member of Congress may serve.

Legislative Progress

Plain-Language Summary

Key Provisions

★ Why this matters

● Who this affects

Bill Text

Where House representatives currently stand

Support

Opposition

No Position

Take Action

Active Organizations

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to limit the number of terms that a Member of Congress may serve.

Legislative Progress

Plain-Language Summary

Key Provisions

★ Why this matters

● Who this affects

Bill Text

Where House representatives currently stand

Support

Opposition

No Position

Take Action

Active Organizations