[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 122 (Wednesday, July 26, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H7792-H7793]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              INTRODUCTION OF THE TERM LIMITS ACT OF 1995

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Hoekstra] is recognized for 5 minutes.

[[Page H7793]]

  Mr. HOEKSTRA. Mr. Speaker, today we have the opportunity to explain 
to my colleagues some legislation that we introduced earlier today. It 
builds on legislation which we introduced in the last Congress. It is 
called the Hoekstra-Hutchinson Voice on Term Limits. It is the Term 
Limits Act of 1995.
  What this legislation does, it provides for a nonbinding national 
advisory referendum on congressional term limits during the November 
1996 general election. As this legislation moves through the House and 
the Senate, this legislation would provide the first time in the 
history of this country where the American people would actually have 
the opportunity to advise Congress on a particular issue.
  As the Members of this body are well aware, we had a vote earlier 
this year on term limits. While we did win a majority, we did not 
receive the necessary number of votes to move this legislation through 
the House and to the Senate and move it to the American people and to 
the States for its confirmation as an amendment to the Constitution.
  What we are proposing with this legislation is enhancing the process 
and allowing the American people the opportunity to influence this 
Congress.
  The process would work in this way: During the spring, summer, and 
early fall of 1996, we would envision a national debate on the pros and 
cons of term limits. Then in November of 1996, on every ballot across 
this country, there would be a very simple question: Should Congress 
approve a constitutional amendment to limit the number of terms that a 
Member of the United States House of Representatives and the United 
States Senate can serve in their office? Yes or no?
  As the results from this national referendum would be tabulated and 
reported, the next Congress would come back in January of 1997. A 
commitment has been made that as Republicans would still maintain the 
majority in the House, that the first piece of legislation that we 
would consider would be another vote on term limits. So we would see an 
opportunity to have a national debate, a national referendum, and then 
a vote on term limits.
  Really, what we are talking about is what I think this institution 
needs, is we need more direct input from the American people advising 
and influencing and providing an opportunity to set the agenda here in 
Washington. It is an experimental process. It is an experimental 
process providing an opportunity to enable the American people to set 
the agenda, help set the agenda in Washington and more clearly advise 
this House on the type of direction that we should take.
  This piece of legislation is part of a broader package of bills that 
I introduced today which also includes the opportunity for Members or 
for citizens to recall Members of the House and of the Senate, 
providing for the inclusion of ``none of the above'' on ballots around 
the country, and also providing legislation to provide binding 
initiative and referendum.
  The bill that I am talking about today, the National Voice on Term 
Limits, is only an advisory referendum. It is an experiment in 
improving democracy, and I am excited to begin this process and to move 
this legislation through the House of Representatives.


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