Lawmakers to take up federal budget and term limit amendment proposals first day of session

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – On the first day of the 2024 Legislative Session, the Florida House plans to take up legislation relating to a call for balanced federal budgets and congressional term limits.

HCR 703 by Rep. Tyler Sirois, R-Merritt Island, and HCR 693 by David Borrero, R-Sweetwater, will each receive 20 minutes for bill sponsor questions and 40 minutes for debate, according to the Rules Committee’s Special Order Calendar for Jan. 9, 2024.

Both bills seek to amend the U.S. Constitution. One requires the federal government to balance the budget each fiscal year and the other would implement congressional term limits.

Under Article V of the U.S. Constitution, a constitutional convention may be called if two-thirds of the states introduce resolutions calling for the document to be amended.

“What my concurrent resolution is saying is that our current budget situation in Washington, the current national debt, is unsustainable for future generations,” Sirois said when his bill was in committee. “We must get this budget and our fiscal house in order.”

Florida previously passed resolutions in 2010 and 2014, according to the bill analysis, related to the same issue of balancing the federal budget.

The reason for the reintroduction was to update the legislation’s wording in order to fit with the 27 other states that have passed similar calls for a convention.

“I see this as one tool to help check the power of the federal government,” said Rep. Danny Alvarez, R-Riverview, during debate. 

“This is about making sure that the freedom of our nation is still checked by the power which rests with the people and shall always,” he said.

Borrero’s bill analysis explained that although many states, including Florida, passed congressional term limits in the early 1990s, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the only way to impose term limits would be nationally, through the U.S. Constitution.

“We cannot fix a broken D.C. with the same people who created the problems in the first place,” Borrero said.

Rep. Spencer Roach, R-North Fort Myers, emphasized during the bill’s committee meeting that calling for a constitutional convention would not be dangerous or undemocratic.

“I would remind everyone that any proposed amendment has to be ratified by three-fourths of the states,” Roach said. “That’s 38 out of 50 states in the union.”

“That to me is the ultimate check on power here,” he said. “If the voters don’t like it, they do not have to vote for it.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis outlined his support and plan to implement congressional term limits through the states if he were elected president.

“We have people like [Nancy] Pelosi who have been there for decade after decade,” he said. “They’re more interested in advancing themselves than they are delivering results for you.”

“The problem is, Congress is never going to enact this,” DeSantis said. “As president, I’ll lead the efforts to bring about term limits through the states.”