Senator Term Limits from the Texas Tribune
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is again introducing a long-contested bill in Congress to limit the terms senators can serve in office to two — all while planning to run for his third term.
The bill, which is a constitutional amendment, would limit U.S. senators from serving more than 12 years, or two six-year terms, in office. Under the same bill, those in the U.S. House would be limited to no more than three two-year terms. If the bill is passed, the terms served by members prior to the bill’s enactment won’t count toward proposed term limitations. This means if Cruz were to win in 2024, the term limits wouldn’t apply to him until 2036.
Cruz hasn’t provided any clarity as to why he’s seeking a third term while also introducing legislation to decrease term limits.
“The Founding Fathers envisioned a government of citizen legislators who would serve for a few years and return home, not a government run by a small group of special interests and lifelong, permanently entrenched politicians who prey upon the brokenness of Washington to govern in a manner that is totally unaccountable to the American people,” Cruz said in a statement after introducing the bill last week.
The bill is unlikely to gain much traction as Cruz has introduced it three other times and it’s never been voted on in the House or the Senate. In order to pass a constitutional amendment, two-thirds of each chamber must approve, and three-fourths of state legislatures would have to ratify the amendment.
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, has filed a similar bill in the Texas Legislature that would limit U.S. senators from Texas to serving two terms in office. Gutierrez maintains Cruz should retire after his current term if he desires new term limits. Read more from the Tribune’s Julia Forrest. https://www.texastribune.org/2023/02/01/ted-cruz-term-limits-reelection/
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