12 states have now passed formal resolutions demanding a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on members of Congress. That’s not a symbolic gesture. It’s a coordinated push under Article V of the U.S. Constitution, which allows state legislatures to initiate amendments without needing Congress to sign off. The threshold is 34 states. These 12 are already in.
Florida passed House Concurrent Resolution 693 during its 2024 legislative session. Alabama, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin followed with similar measures. Each resolution calls for a U.S. Term Limits Convention. The language varies slightly, but the intent is identical: cap the time lawmakers can sit in Washington.
Governor Ron DeSantis has been traveling state to state with the U.S. Term Limits organization, urging legislatures to join the effort. He told Ohio lawmakers in May, “D.C. will never fix itself. Term limits will change the incentives for members of Congress from focusing on reelection to focusing on tangible accomplishments.” That quote is now pinned across conservative media feeds.
The movement is gaining traction because the numbers are hard to ignore. The average tenure in the House is now 11.2 years. In the Senate, it’s 13.6. Incumbency rates hover around 94%. That means once elected, most stay. And stay. And stay. Voters are watching the same names cycle through committee chairs and leadership posts for decades. The appetite for change is growing.
The resolutions don’t set the term limits themselves. They trigger the convention. That’s where the actual amendment language would be drafted. Most proposals suggest 12 years total service, split between chambers or served entirely in one. Some push for 18 years. Others want 6. The final number would be hashed out if the convention is called.
This isn’t just a red state thing. Legislatures in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Arizona have introduced similar resolutions. Some passed one chamber. Others are pending. The map is filling in. If 22 more states join, the convention becomes mandatory. Congress doesn’t get a veto.
The push for term limits is older than most of the lawmakers it targets. But this time, the numbers are moving. The resolutions are stacking. And the pressure is building.
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