NNoo UncertainUncertain TermsTerms THE NEWSLETTER OF THE TERM LIMITS MOVEMENT • JANUARY/FEBRUARY • VOLUME 28 • No. 1 With 20-10 Vote, West Virginia Senate Passes Resolution to Call Term Limits Convention On January 22, the West Virginia Senate passed Senate that lawmakers will pass a call for a Term Limits Conven- Concurrent Resolution 4 (SCR4) calling for an Article V tion: Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, term limits convention. Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia (thank The vote was 20 to 10 with 4 abstentions. (You can see you, WV Senate), and Wisconsin. These are states where a the roll call at bit.ly/2RDeR5H .) resolution has been introduced in the 2020 session or where “Today’s vote was the right thing to do,” said Senator we expect that one will be fi led shortly. Randy Smith, lead sponsor of the resolution. It had 14 Of these ten, Nick Tomboulides has named the legisla- cosponsors. “Congress is a mess. If what’s happening now tures of fi ve states as our top targets this year: West Virgin- doesn’t concern you, then nothing will. This is all about ia, Arizona, giving power back to the people.” Utah, Geor- U.S. Term Limits Executive Director Nick Tomboulides gia, and has hailed the efforts of various state senators, including Louisiana. Senator Patricia Rucker, who countered ill-informed fears The in the judiciary committee about a “runaway convention” resolution by simply reading Article V of the U.S. Constitution to her has yet to colleagues. pass either An Article V amendment convention devoted to the chamber single subject of congressional term limits would produce in Louisi- an amendment that can be ratifi ed by the states even if ana. But Congress never proposes such an amendment. As stipulated we have West Virginia State Senator Randy in Article V, if 34 states pass resolutions calling for such a seen strong Smith makes a case. convention, Congress must convene it. If 38 states ratify an support for amendment proposed by the convention, it becomes part of it there, including 16 signatories so far of our Term Limits the U.S. Constitution. Convention Pledge. A companion bill introduced in the West Virginia house In Utah, the resolution passed in the Utah house in a pre- by Delegate Jeff Pack (HCR 22) has 43 cosponsors. vious session, but not yet in the senate. In 2019, West Virginia senators were prevented from vot- A resolution calling for a Term Limits Convention has ing on the resolution. A fl oor vote was delayed until late in twice passed the Arizona house and also enjoys strong the session. Then, as midnight approached on the very last support in the senate. Twenty-seven Arizona lawmakers day of that session, an opponent of term limits fi libustered have signed the Term Limits Convention Pledge, but Senate to run out the clock. The 2019 session adjourned before the President Karen Fann has yet to bring the resolution to a vote could be held. vote. Yet Fann is a pledge signer herself, so she understands Since then, USTL team members Aaron Dukette and the importance and appeal of congressional term limits. To Shanna Chamblee have been working to expand our al- help us get over the fi nish line in Arizona, we invite read- ready strong bipartisan support in West Virginia. Almost 60 ers who live there to politely urge Senate President Fann to West Virginia lawmakers have signed the U.S. Term Limits schedule a fl oor vote. Convention Pledge to back the resolution. All we needed In Georgia, the resolution passed in the Georgia senate was a vote. in the last session, but not in the house. Fortunately, pro- In 2020, U.S. Term Limits is devoting our energy to ten ponents of the Term Limits Convention do not need to win state leg- another senate vote this year. Since Georgia has, in effect, Hog works to save Michigan islatures a two-year legislative session, the 2019 senate vote carries from scheme to trash term limits. where we over into 2020. But we do need a house victory this year to See page 3. see a good match the senate victory, or we’ll have to start over in both chance chambers. No Uncertain Terms - U.S. Term Limits Foundation 1250 Connecticut Ave. NW Suite 200 • Washington, DC 20036 President’s Corner By Philip Blumel Our page 3 story about the battle for term limits in Michigan quotes Scott Tillman saying that lobbyists hate term limits. Which is pretty confusing, isn’t it? I always hear that lobbyists love term limits! It’s because of all the extra power they supposedly get because of term limits. The former Michigan lawmakers who are currently suing to overturn state legislative term limits claim in their legal fi ling that term limits have “increased the infl uence of lobbyists and special interest groups.” We are supposed to believe that lobbyists love term limits even more than they love entrenched incumbents whom they can count on for decades at a time. Of course, no large, broadly defi ned group is monolithic in the traits and perspectives of its members. We here at U.S. Term Limits are lobbyists too, after all. We “conduct activities aimed at infl uencing public offi cials and especially members of a legislative body on legislation” (Merriam-Webster). When we lobby lawmakers, we are asking them to enact or protect term limits. So, yes, we are lobbyists who love term limits. Found them! Nor are we alone. Many surveys indicate that not all lobbyists oppose term limits. Just most of them. I believe that at least some lobbyists who benefi t from long-term incumbency also do recognize the democratic value of term limits, even if they don’t wave placards about it when their boss is in the room. But the point is that most lobbyists do in fact oppose term limits. They really don’t appreciate having periodic new opportunities to tutor newcomers. They fi nd the constant changing of the guard to be terribly inconvenient. Yet critics of term limits say, repeatedly, that term limits are dangerous because they “empower” lobbyists, who supposedly can treat freshman lawmakers like putty in their hands. It ain’t so. U.S. Term Limits has been around since 1991, and we have participated in many election battles and courtroom battles. Lobbying fi rms and special interests with business before the legislature have always provided the money to try to defeat, weaken, or abolish term limits. There are no exceptions. Can we agree that when lobbyists fi ght term limits, which they do at every opportunity, their goal is not to reduce their own infl uence on the political system? Listen to Phil Blumel and Nick Tomboulides every week on the No Uncertain Terms podcast, archived at termlimits.com/podcast. Visit our Facebook page at on.fb.me/U0blkG. Visit termlimits.com/petition to sign up for email updates about U.S. Term Limits. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 For the latest developments on term limits across America, visit our “It is not the function of our A publication of web site on the Internet at Government to keep the citizen www.termlimits.org US TERM from falling into error; it is the LIMITS FOUNDATION No Uncertain Terms is published function of the citizen to keep the Government from falling U.S. Term Limits – DC Offi ce bimonthly. Third class postage paid, 1250 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington, DC. into error.” Suite 200 Washington, DC 20036 POSTMASTER: -- U.S. Supreme Court in (202) 261-3532 – Phone Send address changes to: U.S. Term Limits Foundation American Communications 1250 Connecticut Avenue NW Association v. Douds [email protected] – Email Suite 200 www.termlimits.org – Web Washington, DC 20036 2 No Uncertain Terms - U.S. Term Limits Foundation 1250 Connecticut Ave. NW Suite 200 • Washington, DC 20036 Perfect Symbol of Power-Hungry Foes of Term Limits Tours Michigan to Alert “Positive and Supportive” Citizens Michigan Hog “Nothing makes lobbyists squeal like losing legislators would be cobbled together with various plausible reforms in to term limits,” says Scott Tillman, state coordinator of the the hope that voters will either miss or forgive the fact that one Michigan organization Don’t Touch Term Limits! “We want of the “reforms” in the measure is just not like the others. politicians to know that the people of Michigan love our term Meanwhile, a group of disgruntled lobbyists who for- limits. Term limits were merly served as Michigan introduced by citizens, not lawmakers have sued to politicians. It is a confl ict of overturn term limits, claim- interest for our politicians ing that state legislative term to meddle with the people’s limits are unconstitutional term limits.” with respect to both the state Under the aegis of constitution and the U.S. Don’t Touch Term Limits!, Constitution. The former Michigan residents Scott accusation is especially Tillman, national fi eld direc- bizarre, since Michigan vot- tor for USTL, and his father ers passed term limits in the Jeff Tillman, deputy fi eld form of an amendment to director for USTL, have the state constitution. Duly been alerting fellow Michi- enacted amendments to the ganders to the threat to term state constitution are part of limits posed by current and the state constitution. former Lansing incumbents. Jeff Tillman’s tireless Their ally in this en- tour of the state, giant hog deavor is an 18-foot-high in tow, has done a lot to get Jeff Tillman with an 18-foot hog representing the gluttony for hog that Jeff has been haul- unlimited tenure of many Michigan lawmakers.