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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023 )
SENATE JOINT
RESOLUTION 14 By: Bergstrom
AS INTRODUCED
A Joint Resolution making an application to the
United States Congress t o call a convention of the
states under Article V of the United States
Constitution for the purpose of proposing an
amendment to the United States Constitution related
to limiting the terms of office for its offi cials and
for members of Congress; providing for construction
of application; directing transmis sion; and
specifying that application constitute s continuing
application.
WHEREAS, the founders of the Constitution of the United States,
through the enactment of Article V, empowered state le gislators to
be guardians of liberty against future abuses of power by the
federal government; and
WHEREAS, in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton, 514 U.S. 779
(1995), the United States Supreme Court declared that states could
not individually impose term limits on their own federal delegations
through state statutes, but could collectively pass a term limits
amendment to the Constitution of the United States; and
WHEREAS, Article V of the Constitution of the United States
requires Congress to propose amend ments to the Constitution of the
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United States upon a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of both the House and
Senate or call a Constitutional Convention upon application of two -
thirds (2/3) of state legislatures, and requi res ratification by
thirty-eight (38) states for the proposal to become law; and
WHEREAS, without term limits, congressional members have an
advantage in elections that virtually guarantees a lifetime of
reelections; and
WHEREAS, term limits for members of Congress will allow an equal
balance of power to all states, with leadership positions based on
merit instead of political favors and tenure of members .
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 1ST SESSION OF THE 59TH OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE:
Section 1. The Oklahoma Legislature hereby makes an application
to Congress, as provided by Article V of the Constitution of the
United States of America, to call a convention limited to proposing
an amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America to
set a limit on the number of terms that a person may be elected as a
Member of the United States House of Representatives and to set a
limit on the number of terms that a person may be elected as a
Member of the United States Senate.
Section 2. The Secretary of State is hereby directed to
transmit copies of t his application to the President and Secretary
of the Senate of the United States and to the Speaker, Clerk and
Judiciary Committee Chair of the House of Representatives of the
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Congress of the United Stat es, and copies to the members of the
Senate and House of Representatives from this State; also to
transmit copies hereof to the presiding officers of each of the
legislative houses in the several States, re questing their
cooperation.
Section 3. This application shall be considered as covering the
same subject matter as the applications from other States to
Congress to call a convention to set a limit on the number of terms
that a person may be elected to the House of Representatives of the
Congress of the United States and the Senate of the United States;
and this application shall be aggregated with same for the purpose
of attaining the two -thirds (2/3) of states necessary to require
Congress to call a limit ed convention on this subject, but shall not
be aggregated with any other applications on any other s ubject.
Section 4. This application constitutes a continuing
application in accordance with Article V of the Constitution of the
United States of America u ntil the legislatures of at least two -
thirds (2/3) of the several states have made applications on t he
same subject.
59-1-471 TEK 1/17/2023 8:07:36 PM