Missouri Legislature Approves Term Limits Amendment Resolution

Published June 12, 2018

The Missouri General Assembly approved a resolution calling on Congress to organize a national convention for drafting an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to “set a limit on the number of terms that a person may be elected as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and as a member of the U.S. Senate.”

Senate Concurrent Resolution 40 (S.C.R. 40), approved by both chambers of the legislature in May, would enter Missouri into a convention of states for the purpose of proposing the amendment. The resolution does not require the governor’s signature. S.C.R. 40 is based on model language proposed by U.S. Term Limits, a nonprofit organization advocating limits on lawmakers’ tenure at all levels of government.

Article V of the U.S. Constitution establishes methods for proposing and enacting amendments, including a state-led process. After 34 states call for an amendment convention, commissioners meet to draft an amendment or amendments enacting the specified proposal.

Three state legislatures have approved resolutions proposed by U.S. Term Limits.

Turnover and ‘New, Fresh Ideas’

SCR 40’s sponsor, Missouri state Sen. Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg), says term limits would pump new blood into Washington.

“While experience on the job is important, I believe our U.S. senators and representatives should not make a career of being an elected official,” Hoskins said. “Reasonable term limits at the federal level would allow for new, fresh ideas in our federal government. Also, one elected official or state could not control Congress for numerous years, if our U.S. senators and representatives have term limits.”

Cites High Voter Support

Ken Quinn, a regional director with U.S. Term Limits, says the idea is very popular with voters.

“The passage of SCR 40 by the General Assembly of Missouri helps to bring the most popular issue among the American voters, term limits for Congress, to the forefront of a national discussion that has historic implications,” Quinn said. “Recently, a survey of 1,000 likely voters was conducted showing that an overwhelming 82 percent of the voters approve of a term-limits amendment for Congress.”