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HJR 13

Requesting the United States Congress to call a convention of the states to propose an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to set a limit on the number of terms that a person may be elected as a member of the United States House of Representatives and as a member of the United States Senate; and urging the legislatures of the other 49 states to request the United States Congress to call a convention of the states.

33rd Legislature (2023-2024) Introduced by Tom McKay and 1 co-sponsor

Alaska requests Congress convene a constitutional convention to propose congressional term limits and urges other states to do the same.

(H) REFERRED TO RULES
#appointments #constitution #constitutionalamendments #constitutionalconvention #elections #governmentorganization #intergovernmentalrelations #publicofficers
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Bill Summary · HJR 13

Legislative bill overview

This Alaska House joint resolution requests that the U.S. Congress call a Convention of the States to propose a constitutional amendment limiting the number of terms members of Congress can serve. The resolution also urges the other 49 states to pass similar requests, as a two-thirds majority of state legislatures is required under Article V of the Constitution to trigger such a convention.

Why is this important

Congressional term limits would fundamentally reshape the legislative branch by forcing the periodic removal of sitting members, regardless of constituent preference. This touches on core democratic principles regarding voter choice, institutional experience, and power dynamics in Washington—and requires an extraordinarily high threshold (34 states) to even convene the convention that would draft the amendment.

Potential points of contention

  • Voter autonomy: Term limits restrict voters' ability to re-elect representatives they prefer, raising questions about whether this infringes on democratic choice
  • Institutional loss: Limiting tenure could reduce legislative experience and expertise while potentially increasing reliance on unelected staff and lobbyists who hold institutional memory
  • Convention scope creep: A Convention of the States, once called, could theoretically propose amendments beyond term limits—a "runaway convention" risk that concerns many constitutional scholars
  • Partisan motivation: Term limit movements often gain traction when one party is frustrated with the other's entrenchment, raising concerns about partisan engineering of constitutional rules

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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