Tennessee State Senator Richard Briggs (District 7) has signed on as the Senate sponsor of House Joint Resolution 5 (HJR5). This resolution would have Tennessee join other states in calling for a convention for proposing a congressional term limits amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The measure passed the State House earlier this year with Rep. Chris Todd as sponsor. The effort is being spearheaded by the nonpartisan, nonprofit, U.S. Term Limits (USTL).
According to the latest RMG Research poll, 78% of likely voters in Tennessee support term limits for Congress with strong support among Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike.
HJR5 has a groundswell of bipartisan support in the Tennessee legislature. Dozens of state lawmakers have committed their support by signing a pledge to co-sponsor this legislation.
USTL Tennessee State Chair Glenn Jacobs stated, “I’m happy Senator Briggs has agreed to sponsor this bill in the Senate. The continued dysfunction in Washington is further evidence of the need for congressional term limits. I look forward to Tennessee joining the other states that are calling for a convention to make term limits a reality.”
U.S. Term Limits President Philip Blumel commended Senator Briggs for putting forth the legislation. Blumel said, “The people of Tennessee are lucky to have public servants who see what is going on in D.C. and are willing to take action to fix it. They know that Congress won’t set term limits on itself. Therefore, it is the obligation of the states to do so.”
HJR5 passed the State House on March 23, 2023. Next, it will be assigned a committee in the State Senate for a hearing and a vote. Once passed in the senate, Tennessee will join other states in the call to for a national convention for the exclusive purpose of proposing term limits on the U.S. Congress. After 34 state legislatures pass similar resolutions and approve the term limits amendment language the measure must be ratified by 38 states to become part of the U.S. Constitution.
