Letter to the Editor - Van Horn: Congress should have term limits

My name is Sawyer Van Horn. On Wednesday, Feb 26, I went on the Brandon Day at the Legislature trip to Pierre, put on by the BV Chamber of Commerce. I went to the Senate State Affairs Committee to testify on House Joint Resolution 5002: Applying to the United States Congress under Article 5 of the U.S. Constitution to call for a convention to propose an amendment to the constitution establishing congressional term limits. 34 state legislatures must pass resolutions to call for a convention to establish congressional term limits.

The median age in the United States Senate is 65. In the United States House, it is 58. According to NBC News, 20 members in both chambers are over 80. The fourth in line of the succession is 91, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who is the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. Congress should not be a retirement home.

Regardless of your political affiliation, I think it is important to have younger representation. Only one member of my generation is in Congress, Congressman Maxwell Frost of Florida, who is 28.

To be a United States Representative, you must be 25, and a Senator is 30. Why don’t we have term limits for Congress but have term limits for the President?

HJR5002 passed out of committee 7-2. On Tuesday, March 4, it passed in the State Senate on a 25-10 vote.

I hope Governor Rhoden will sign the resolution.

Sawyer Van Horn

Brandon