[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 683 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 683

To protect and enforce the equal privileges and immunities of citizens 
  of the United States and the constitutional rights of the people to 
            choose Senators and Representatives in Congress.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 5, 1995

 Mr. Frist (for himself, Mr. Ashcroft, Mr. Brown, Mr. Inhofe, and Mr. 
   Santorum) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
         referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To protect and enforce the equal privileges and immunities of citizens 
  of the United States and the constitutional rights of the people to 
            choose Senators and Representatives in Congress.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Electoral Rights Enforcement Act of 
1995''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds that:
            (1) The right of the people of the States to choose their 
        Senators and Representatives in Congress is a fundamental right 
        and a privilege and immunity of citizenship reserved to the 
        States or the people by the 10th amendment, and enforceable 
        under sections 4 and 8 of article I, section 4 of article IV, 
        and the 14th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 24th, and 26th amendments of 
        the Constitution.
            (2) A State and its people may reasonably conclude that 
        requiring regular rotation in office of their Senators and 
        Representatives in Congress best serves their needs and the 
        interests of good government.
            (3) An overwhelming majority of the people in every State 
        favor term limits on their Senators and Representatives in 
        Congress.
            (4) Long-time incumbents often have benefits from their 
        offices that have given them unequal advantages in obtaining 
        reelection.
            (5) Entrenched incumbency has had the effect of denying 
        equal rights to seek office.
            (6) Entrenched incumbency has had the effect of reducing 
        the participation of racial minorities, women, and young voters 
        in elections for the Senate and House of Representatives.
            (7) Long-time incumbents often encourage unconstitutional 
        gerrymandering of congressional districts to assist them in 
        continuing in office.
            (8) Long-time incumbents often become more responsive to 
        special interests than to the voters, thus infringing on the 
        voter's right to nondiscriminatory treatment in the provision 
        of government services.
            (9) Long-term incumbents often have advantages in obtaining 
        financial support for campaigns, which result in greatly 
        unequal opportunities among candidates seeking election.
            (10) For all of the reasons set forth in paragraphs (1) 
        through (9), the people in States in which a majority choose to 
        limit the terms of their Members of Congress are denied a fully 
        republican form of government if they are not allowed to do so.
    (b) Purpose.--The purposes of the Act are--
            (1) to enforce the guarantees of equal protection of the 
        laws and protect the privileges and immunities of citizens of 
        the United States, as guaranteed by the 14th amendment, by 
        authorizing the people and the States to limit the terms of 
        their Senators and Representatives in Congress;
            (2) to enforce the guarantees of the 10th amendment to the 
        same end;
            (3) to enforce the guarantees of the 15th, 19th, 24th, and 
        26th amendments to the same end;
            (4) to enforce the right of the people to choose their 
        Representatives in Congress guaranteed by article 1 of the 
        Constitution;
            (5) to enforce the right of the people to choose their 
        Senators guaranteed by the 17th amendment to the Constitution;
            (6) to regulate the manner of elections to Congress; and
            (7) to carry out the obligation of Congress to guarantee to 
        every State a republican form of government as set forth in 
        section 4 of Article IV.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION AND ENFORCEMENT; SENATE.

    Each State or the people thereof may prescribe the maximum number 
of terms to which a person may be elected or appointed to the Senate of 
the United States.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION AND ENFORCEMENT; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

    Each State or the people thereof may prescribe the maximum number 
of terms to which a person may be elected to the House of 
Representatives of the United States.
                                 <all>