Demand for a constitutional convention addressing term limits passes Senate committee

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Sen. Blaise Ingoglia’s, R-Spring Hill, concurrent resolution calling for a constitutional convention to address congressional term limits passed the Senate Judiciary committee on Tuesday.

The proposal, SCR 326, passed the committee unanimously. The House version of the bill, HCR 693, passed its first committee assignment on Wednesday.

Sen. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando, questioned why the legislature was taking up legislation similar to bills that had already passed in previous years.

Ingoglia responded by explaining that the reasoning was because it was originally done as a memorial and this time it would be done as a concurrent resolution. He believes that it is more “legally” appropriate for the legislation to be passed this way.

Senate President-designate Ben Albritton, R-Bartow, explained it wasn’t about whether or not Congress needs term limits. He believes the question is more about the length of the term limits.

“It’s not just as easy as going to Washington and pulling out your sword and saying ‘I’m here for change,'” he said. “You’ve got to understand how to do it, you’ve got to learn the rules, you’ve got to understand how to operate.”

Ingoglia explained that he didn’t specify how long the concurrent resolution would call for the term limits to be. He had to leave it open ended, otherwise all the other states would have to pass identical resolutions calling for the same length of time.

“So we leave it open ended in this, just calling for the purpose of term limits, and I would hope that the realize at that point that the people would not tolerate setting term limits for 30 years,” he said. “But it would be prudent and beneficial to the country to set it at a level, possibly 12 years, as we’ve heard.”

Albritton strongly expressed his support for the legislation despite his questions about the time lengths.

“This bill is about renovation, it’s about accountability, it’s about creating a new sense of urgency, maybe even creating new energy in Congress and looking. for new opportunities for leadership,” he said.