[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 86 (Tuesday, May 23, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H5387]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        TERM LIMITS IS NOT DEAD

  (Mr. GOSS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, this morning in the Washington Post we read 
that the former Speaker of this House, Tom Foley, believes that term 
limits is dead. Actually that should be term limits are dead.
  Either way, so speaks the man who did not understand the term limits 
movement when he was the Speaker, and he still does not get it. The 
citizens of Washington State and 21 other States passed term limits, 
and they are not ready to concede defeat on the issue.
  Yes, yesterday's decision by the Supreme Court shows an unfortunate 
disconnect between the judicial branch and the majority of Americans 
who favor term limits. That type of thing has happened before and 
Congress has fixed it. Now it is up to Congress to act.
  The ruling gives us a clear course: the term limit constitutional 
amendment. We have seen the arrogance of power here resulting from a 
system where longevity, not merit, determines clout. Let's return to 
the idea of citizen legislators who go to Washington to serve and then 
go back home to live among the people that they have worked for. That 
is what the people want, and they are the people we work for.

                          ____________________