Congress·In Committee·H.J.Res. 12

Rep. Norman Introduces Constitutional Amendment to Limit Terms for House and Senate Members

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

about 1 year ago·View on Congress.gov

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Key Points

This proposal would amend the U.S. Constitution to cap House members at three terms (six years total) and Senators at two terms (twelve years total), fundamentally changing how long anyone can serve in Congress.
From policy text
“No person who has served 3 terms as a Representative shall be eligible for election to the House of Representatives.”
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Time served before the amendment is ratified would not count against the new limits, meaning every current member of Congress would effectively start fresh with a clean slate.
From policy text
“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.”
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Partial terms from filling vacancies would count toward the limits if the person serves more than one year in the House or more than three years in the Senate, preventing people from gaming special elections to extend their time.
From policy text
“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.”
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This faces one of the hardest paths in American government: it needs two-thirds of both the House and Senate to pass, and then 38 out of 50 state legislatures must ratify it within seven years.
From policy text
“two-thirds of each House concurring therein”
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The resolution was introduced by Rep. Norman with bipartisan support from 28 co-sponsors and referred to the House Judiciary Committee, where most constitutional amendment proposals stall.

Democratic Institutions

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jan 6, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Jan 6, 2025

Introduced in House

Related News

4 articles

The Times Leader·11 months ago

Rep. Bresnahan joins bipartisan effort to create Congressional term limits

U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan announced his co-sponsorship of H.J. Res. 12, arguing that public office should be a service rather than a lifelong career. The amendment would limit House members to three terms and Senators to two, with terms starting only after ratification.

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The Indiana Citizen·about 1 year ago

TERM LIMITS ADVANCE: Indiana Senate passes Article V Convention resolution

Indiana state senators passed a resolution calling for an Article V Convention to propose a federal constitutional amendment for congressional term limits. Proponents cited high public support, while critics warned of the risks of 'tinkering' with the U.S. Constitution.

Oregon Public Broadcasting·about 1 year ago

Former Oregon Senate Republican Leader will push for Congressional term limits

Reporting on the regional momentum for the federal term limits amendment. The article highlights how local leaders are coordinating with national efforts to pass a constitutional amendment that would restrict the tenure of federal lawmakers to six years in the House and twelve in the Senate.

Related Bills

2 bills

S.J.Res. 1Related bill

A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to limiting the number of terms that a Member of Congress may serve.

Jan 7 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

S.J.Res. 2Related bill

A joint resolution proposing amendments to the Constitution of the United States relative to the line item veto, a limitation on the number of terms that a Member of Congress may serve, and requiring a vote of two-thirds of the membership of both Houses of Congress on any legislation raising or imposing new taxes or fees.

Jan 8 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.