HR 21 — A Concurrent Resolution calling for a convention under Article V of the Constitution of the United States to consider amendments that limit the number of terms that members of Congress may serve and establish and limit the terms of office for United States Supreme Court Justices.

PRINTER'S NO.   253

                   THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



           HOUSE RESOLUTION
              No. 21
                                                Session of
                                                  2025

     INTRODUCED BY SOLOMON, M. BROWN, PROBST, KENYATTA, CIRESI,
        HADDOCK, BONNER AND GREEN, JANUARY 23, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, JANUARY 23, 2025


                          A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1   Calling for a convention under Article V of the Constitution of
 2      the United States to consider amendments that limit the
 3      number of terms that members of Congress may serve and
 4      establish and limit the terms of office for United States
 5      Supreme Court Justices.
 6      WHEREAS, Article V of the Constitution of the United States
 7   places substantial authority and responsibility upon the
 8   legislatures of the several states to ensure that the Federal
 9   Government and each of its branches remain within their
10   enumerated powers and remain protective of the rights of the
11   people; and
12      WHEREAS, A variety of important movements have arisen within
13   the legislatures of the several states to address a wide variety
14   of concerns that may be appropriately addressed within the
15   context of Article V; and
16      WHEREAS, The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
17   Pennsylvania wishes to address these various approaches in a
18   bipartisan and complementary manner; and
19      WHEREAS, An agreement to call for an Article V convention
 1   does not commit the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
 2   Pennsylvania to approve any proposal that may arise from any
 3   subsequent convention; and
 4      WHEREAS, The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
 5   Pennsylvania is simply exercising its will to engage in a formal
 6   process with other states to give full and authoritative
 7   consideration to various proposals consistent with the topics
 8   expressed by each of the applications that follow, and which are
 9   only valid when formally ratified by three-fourths of the
10   several states; therefore be it
11      RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That the General Assembly
12   of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby approve the following
13   two separate and distinct applications for an Article V
14   convention in one omnibus resolution with the following
15   understandings:
16            (1)   this omnibus application shall have the same effect
17      as two distinct Article V applications enacted individually;
18      and
19            (2)   each of the two applications is intended to
20      aggregate with applications from the sister states solely on
21      the topics stated therein and not with each other;
22   and be it further
23      RESOLVED, That the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
24   Pennsylvania hereby make application to Congress, as provided by
25   Article V of the Constitution of the United States, to call a
26   convention limited to proposing an amendment to the Constitution
27   of the United States to set a limit on the number of terms that
28   a person may be elected as a member of the United States House
29   of Representatives and to set a limit on the number of terms
30   that an individual may be elected as a member of the United

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 1   States Senate; and be it further
 2      RESOLVED, That this application be considered as covering the
 3   same subject matter as the applications from other states to
 4   Congress to call a convention to set a limit on the number of
 5   terms that an individual may be elected to the United States
 6   House of Representatives and the United States Senate; and be it
 7   further
 8      RESOLVED, That this application be aggregated with same for
 9   the purpose of attaining the two-thirds of states necessary to
10   require Congress to call a limited convention on this subject,
11   but shall not be aggregated with applications on any other
12   subject; and be it further
13      RESOLVED, That this application constitute a continuing
14   application in accordance with Article V of the Constitution of
15   the United States until the legislatures of at least two-thirds
16   of the several states have made applications on the same
17   subject; and be it further
18      RESOLVED, That the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
19   Pennsylvania make application to Congress, as provided by
20   Article V of the Constitution of the United States, to call a
21   convention limited to proposing an amendment to the Constitution
22   of the United States to establish a process by which the
23   appointment of Supreme Court Justices can occur at regular time
24   intervals and limiting how long a Justice may serve on the
25   Court; and be it further
26      RESOLVED, That this application be considered as covering the
27   same subject matter as the applications from other states to
28   Congress to call a convention to set a limit on the term of
29   United States Supreme Court Justices; and be it further
30      RESOLVED, That this application be aggregated with same for

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 1   the purpose of attaining the two-thirds of states necessary to
 2   require Congress to call a limited convention on this subject,
 3   but shall not be aggregated with applications on any other
 4   subject; and be it further
 5      RESOLVED, That this application constitute a continuing
 6   application in accordance with Article V of the Constitution of
 7   the United States until the legislatures of at least two-thirds
 8   of the several states have made applications on the same
 9   subject; and be it further
10      RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State of the Commonwealth of
11   Pennsylvania transmit copies of this application to the
12   President and Secretary of the Senate of the United States and
13   to the Speaker, Clerk and Judiciary Committee Chairman of the
14   House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States,
15   to members of the Senate and House of Representatives from
16   Pennsylvania and to the presiding officers of each of the
17   legislative houses in the several states requesting their
18   cooperation.




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