Wednesday, October 26, 2011

State Sen. Joe Negron files resolution for Congressional term limits!

Great news! Florida Sen. Joe Negron has sponsored a Senate companion for Rep. Matt Caldwell's resolution, or memorial as they are called in the legislature, calling for term limits on the U.S. Congress.

With a term limits amendment bill with cosponsors in both Houses of Congress for the first time since the mid-1990s, it is time for us to put the pressure on Congress anyway we can to cosponsor and vote for these bills. One way is to have our state legislatures officially call for Congressional term limits.

Sen. Joe Negron and Rep. Matt Caldwell are taking the lead for the 79 percent of Floridians who support the idea.

Sen. Negron's bill -- SM 672 -- is a mirror of Rep. Caldwell's HM 83 that, if passed, would officially call for Congressional term limits. Moreover, it resolves that “copies of this memorial be dispatched to the President of the United States, to the President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and to each member of the Florida delegation to the United States Congress."

Rep. Caldwell successfully shepherded this bill through the House last session, but it died without a Senate companion. This session Caldwell added a co-sponsor in the House, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Fort Walton Beach.

A lot of the legwork on these bills is being done by grass roots political consultant John Hallman and the activist group Campaign for Liberty, who have chosen the memorials as priority legislation for the session

But they need our help:

1) Send a thank you to the two Matts (Caldwell and Gaetz) in the House and Sen. Negron in the Senate. Let them know we appreciate it and that these bills are worth their continued efforts.

2) Contact your state rep and ask him or her to cosponsor and vote for this bill. To find your representative, go here and select the FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVE pull-down menu on the top left.

3) Contact Rep. Clay Ford here and ask for a vote on Caldwell's HM 83 by the Federal Affairs Subcommittee.

4) Contact your state senator and ask him or her to cosponsor and support Sen. Negron's bill. To find your senator, go here.

5) Write a letter to editor in support of the memorials.

6) Support U.S. Term Limits and Campaign for Liberty with financial assistance for the effort.

We can do this. After all, the Caldwell bill is NOT an Article 5 call for a Constitutional Convention, but simply a resolution. And, unlike Congress members – who have a self-interest in opposing Congressional term limits – state legislators have a self-interested reason is passing them: Congressional term limits would open up seats they can run for. They know as well as anyone that incumbents in Congress statistically can’t lose except via death or indictment.

To follow the bill using the House’s BillTracker, go here. Senate, here.

If we are successful in Florida, other states will follow our lead. Believe me, the Congress will feel the pressure if state after state (and poll after poll) call for term limits. Let's do it!

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