[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 86 (Tuesday, May 23, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H5380]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                              TERM LIMITS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of May 
12, 1995, the gentleman from Nebraska [Mr. Christensen] is recognized 
during morning business for 3 minutes.
  Mr. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the American people witnessed 
our system of Government in action when our unelected, 
unrepresentative, life-tenured Supreme Court by 1 vote struck down 
term-limit laws in 23 States. In an 88-page dissent, Justice Thomas 
said: ``Nothing in the Constitution deprives the people of each state 
of the power to prescribe eligibility requirements for the candidates 
who seek to represent them in Congress.'' The Constitution is silent on 
this question.
  Today's liberal New York Times has an article in here. It says: 
``Congress Members Off Hook on Re-election.''
  Wrong. First of all, the author of this article goes on to state: 
``By nullifying term limits imposed by the States, the Supreme Court in 
effect handed each Member of Congress a `get out of jail free' card.''
  I guess one thing that we learned is that yesterday's elections do 
matter. President Clinton, elected by a mere plurality in 1992, 
appointed two members to this high court that decided they knew best. 
Both Justice Breyer and Justice Ginsburg said that States do not know 
right from wrong, that the Supreme Court knows how to set the law 
better when they voted against 23 States.
  Second, people do matter. Last fall the American people sent a clear 
message that they were tired of business as usual in Washington. They 
gave the Republicans a majority in this body for the first time in 40 
years. This new majority is solidly in favor of term limits. While we 
are still a few votes shy, in 1996 the American people will give us the 
votes to enact term limits as the American people want, nearly 78 
percent of the American people favoring term limits for their 
Representatives.
  Some have said that term limits are now dead, and I am here to tell 
you they are dead wrong. Whether it is the McCollum bill that we bring 
up in 1997, which enacts a 12-year blanket term limit, or whether it is 
the Hilleary 12-year bill that allows States to have lower term limits, 
if they so wish, one of them will come to the House under House 
Resolution 1 as the Speaker has promised.
  We are going to work tirelessly until we can enact the will of the 
people. We are going to pass a constitutional amendment that will put 
an end to career politicians once and for all.

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