CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The West Virginia Senate on Wednesday called for a Constitutional convention to write congressional term limits into the country’s founding document.
The resolution, approved 20-10, draws on Article V of the U.S. Constitution to call for a convention of the states to set a limit on the number of terms someone can serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.
Sen. Randy Smith, a Republican who sponsored the measure, told lawmakers that “Congress is out of control.”
“We’ve got every right to use it to send a message to our representatives in Washington that we’re watching you and we want something done,” he said.
Two-thirds of the country’s state legislatures would have to call for a Constitutional convention for such a meeting to be held. Then three-fourths of the states would need to approve any changes to the Constitution proposed at the convention.
Some opponents of the measure cautioned that calling for a convention could lead to a host of unforeseen changes to the Constitution.
“We’re not playing with the amount of time people can spend in Congress, we’re playing with fire,” Sen. Michael Romano, a Democrat.
The resolution now heads to the House of Delegates.
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