HCR2041, which would place Term Limits on members of Congress, sponsored by Arizona Speaker of the House Steve Montenegro, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 6 to 3 vote Wednesday morning.
Support for the measure was bipartisan, and proponents of the measure who spoke pointed out that Congressional Term Limits enjoys the support of more than 85% of Americans, across all party lines, and that some of its prominent supporters include President Donald Trump, former President Barack Obama, and numerous other well-known Republicans and Democrats.
Arizona was one of more than 20 states that had term limits on its federal officials until the Supreme Court struck down those limits, ruling that they were unconstitutional when implemented on a state-by-state basis, and that a constitutional amendment would be required to place term limits on all members of Congress. Since then, 9 states have passed calls for precisely such an amendment, and nearly 20 states are considering similar calls this year.
Democrats Brian Garcia and Lupe Contreras voted against the resolution, which was not a surprise given their strong liberal leanings. But Democrat Alma Hernandez spoke in favor of it, pointing out that the idea has support from most Democrats and that she hears from her own constituents that they support it. Hernandez also pointed out members of Congress who had been in office for far too long, including those who had missed hundreds of votes and were denying representation to their constituents. Every Republican voted for the measure except freshman Republican Khyl Powell, who largely echoed the points made by Garcia and Contreras.
The resolution now heads to the full House for a vote in the coming weeks.
