[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 51 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 51

  Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to 
provide for four-year terms for Representatives and to limit the number 
                  of terms Representatives may serve.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 5, 1993

Mr. Stump introduced 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 
provide for four-year terms for Representatives and to limit the number 
                  of terms Representatives 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 from the date of its submission by the Congress:

                              ``Article--

    ``Section 1. The term of office of a Representative in Congress 
shall be four years, except for two-year terms as provided in this 
section. Immediately after the Representatives in Congress shall be 
assembled for the first term with respect to which this section 
applies, they shall be divided by lot as equally as may be into two 
classes. The terms of the Representatives of the first class shall 
expire at the end of the second year, and of the second class at the 
end of the fourth year, so that one-half may be chosen every second 
year. In order to meet the requirements of reapportionment, all offices 
of Representatives in Congress shall be open for election in years 
ending in two and the same process of division into two classes 
described hereinbefore shall recur upon the first assembly of Members 
after each such election. The House of Representatives shall adopt 
procedures to insure that the size of the two classes of seats shall 
remain as equal as possible despite changes occurring in the total 
number of seats in the House of Representatives or in the apportionment 
of Members among the several States.
    ``Section 2. No person who has been elected to the House of 
Representatives a total of four times, or has been elected three times 
to four-year terms, shall be eligible for election to the House of 
Representatives.
    ``Section 3. For purposes of determining eligibility for election 
under section 2, only elections occurring by reason of the expiration 
of the term of office of a Member and elections to terms of office 
beginning more than one year after the date of the ratification of this 
article shall be taken into account.
    ``Section 4. The first clause of section 2 of article I of the 
Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.
    ``Section 5. Section 1 shall apply with respect to terms of office 
beginning more than one year after the date of the ratification of this 
article. Section 2 shall take effect when the first terms of office 
begin with respect to which section 1 applies.''.

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