[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 59 (Thursday, March 30, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E743]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                  TERM LIMITS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

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                               speech of

                          HON. CARDISS COLLINS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 29, 1995

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the joint resolution (H.J. 
     Res. 73) proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the 
     United States with respect to the number of terms of office 
     of Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives:

  Mrs. COLLINS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to House 
Joint Resolution 73, in opposition to term limits for Members of 
Congress, and I urge my colleagues to reject this ill-conceived 
legislation.
  Why do I oppose term limits? Well for one, they are absolutely 
unnecessary. The voting public always has, and will continue to have, 
complete control over the membership of both the House of 
Representatives and the Senate. One need only to look back to last 
year's historic November elections to recognize this fact. Those 
Representatives and Senators that were not doing the job their 
constituents wanted or expected were not reelected--pure and simple.
  The reality that my Republican friends tend to deemphasize and don't 
want to discuss is that more than half the Members of this House have 
been elected only within the past 6 years. That's right--over 50 
percent of this Chamber are serving in their third term or less.
  In addition, term limits are an affront to the basic rights, 
responsibilities, and intelligence of all American citizens. Our 
Federal Government functions best when the public and the Congress act 
together to carry out the responsibility for moving our Nation forward. 
An educated and politically aware public is vital for the strength of 
our democracy.
  However, term limits take away the ability of voters to choose who 
they want to represent them at the Federal level by imposing an 
arbitrary timetable on length of service without regard to a Member's 
effectiveness or responsiveness to the needs of his or her 
constituents. In effect, term limits say to the voters, ``You are not 
smart enough to know the issues at hand, to know for whom to vote, to 
know who will best represent you and your fellow neighbors, therefore 
we'll help you out.'' This is a ridiculous, untrue, antidemocratic 
proposition and one at which people should be strongly offended.
  Term limits are patently nonsensical. The only thing that they will 
serve to do is deprive this institution of several effective 
legislators who have the historical perspective and expertise necessary 
to tackle the major challenges facing this body and turn greater power 
and influence in Congress over to entrenched, unelected staff, 
lobbyists, and agency bureaucrats. I can tell you that this is not what 
my constituents want.
  Mr. Chairman, to me it is also disingenuous of the GOP to claim 
support for term limits and yet put forth a bill that will not affect 
them for at least another 19 years and does not speak to the issue of 
State preemption. This is just blatant, and frankly quite despicable, 
political posturing.
  If you want term limits, if you believe they are such a great idea, 
and think that many years of service in the U.S. Congress is inherently 
evil, why not make term limits retroactive and also defer to those 
States with less than 12-year limits currently on the books? Maybe 
because you are trying to fool the American people. Well, let me tell 
you something, Mr. Chairman, the American people are not stupid. They 
can see through such charades.
  Mr. Chairman, I vigorously urge defeat of House Joint Resolution 73. 
The leadership in this body better start concentrating on the real 
needs of the American people, like jobs, accessible and affordable 
health care, community development and revitalization, and the long-
term economic and social growth of this country. if they don't begin 
to, it's a pretty safe bet that their terms will be limited regardless 
of the passage of this legislation.


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