PRINTER'S NO. 1895
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
183
Session of
2023
INTRODUCED BY SOLOMON, ROZZI AND CERRATO, AUGUST 8, 2023
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, AUGUST 8, 2023
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.
WHEREAS, Article V of the Constitution of the United States
places substantial authority and responsibility upon the
legislatures of the several states to ensure that the Federal
Government and each of its branches remain within their
enumerated powers and remain protective of the rights of the
people; and
WHEREAS, A variety of important movements have arisen within
the legislatures of the several states to address a wide variety
of concerns that may be appropriately addressed within the
context of Article V; and
WHEREAS, The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania wishes to address these various approaches in a
bipartisan and complementary manner; and
WHEREAS, An agreement to call for an Article V convention
does not commit the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
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Pennsylvania to approve any proposal that may arise from any
subsequent convention; and
WHEREAS, The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania is simply exercising its will to engage in a formal
process with other states to give full and authoritative
consideration to various proposals consistent with the topics
expressed by each of the applications that follow, and which are
only valid when formally ratified by three-fourths of the
several states; therefore be it
RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That the General Assembly
of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby approve the following
two separate and distinct applications for an Article V
convention in one omnibus resolution with the following
understandings:
(1) this omnibus application shall have the same effect
as two distinct Article V applications enacted individually;
and
(2) each of the two applications is intended to
aggregate with applications from the sister states solely on
the topics stated therein and not with each other;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania hereby make application to Congress, as provided by
Article V of the Constitution of the United States, to call a
convention limited to proposing 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 to set a limit on the number of terms
that an individual may be elected as a member of the United
States Senate; and be it further
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RESOLVED, That this application be considered as covering the
same subject matter as the applications from other states to
Congress to call a convention to set a limit on the number of
terms that an individual may be elected to the United States
House of Representatives and the United States Senate; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That this application be aggregated with same for
the purpose of attaining the two-thirds of states necessary to
require Congress to call a limited convention on this subject,
but shall not be aggregated with applications on any other
subject; and be it further
RESOLVED, That this application constitute a continuing
application in accordance with Article V of the Constitution of
the United States until the legislatures of at least two-thirds
of the several states have made applications on the same
subject; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania make application to Congress, as provided by
Article V of the Constitution of the United States, to call a
convention limited to proposing an amendment to the Constitution
of the United States to establish a process by which the
appointment of Supreme Court Justices can occur at regular time
intervals and limiting how long a Justice may serve on the
Court; and be it further
RESOLVED, That this application be considered as covering the
same subject matter as the applications from other states to
Congress to call a convention to set a limit on the term of
United States Supreme Court Justices; and be it further
RESOLVED, That this application be aggregated with same for
the purpose of attaining the two-thirds of states necessary to
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require Congress to call a limited convention on this subject,
but shall not be aggregated with applications on any other
subject; and be it further
RESOLVED, That this application constitute a continuing
application in accordance with Article V of the Constitution of
the United States until the legislatures of at least two-thirds
of the several states have made applications on the same
subject; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania transmit copies of this application to the
President and Secretary of the Senate of the United States and
to the Speaker, Clerk and Judiciary Committee Chairman of the
House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States,
to members of the Senate and House of Representatives from
Pennsylvania and to the presiding officers of each of the
legislative houses in the several states requesting their
cooperation.
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