A Florida congressman has introduced a proposal which he says will ensure members of Congress face term limits even without amending the Constitution.
On Tuesday. U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla., unveiled the “Thomas Jefferson Public Service Act” which drastically slashes congressional salaries after six terms in the U.S. House and two terms in the U.S. Senate. The proposal would “set the annual rate of compensation for a member of Congress who has served six consecutive terms as a member of the House of Representatives or two consecutive terms as a senator at $1, to amend title 5, United States Code, to exclude any service of a member of Congress occurring during any pay period for which the member's annual rate of compensation is $1 as creditable service for purposes of an annuity under that title, and for other purposes.”
The Southwest Florida Republican weighed in on Wednesday as to why his proposal was needed and he insisted it would help restore what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they crafted the Constitution.
“The idea of citizen legislators, espoused by our Founding Fathers, centers on the discussion of term limits. Many voters across the country and legislators across party lines have expressed support for term limits, making the idea one which attracts bipartisan support,” Rooney noted.
The congressman pointed to wide support of term limits both at the national level and in the Sunshine State.
“When my home state of Florida passed term limits, 76 percent of Sunshine State voters voted in favor. In fact, Florida is one of 15 states to currently have legislative term limits. This year, a nationwide poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associates found that 82 percent of voters support Congressional term limits, including 89 percent of Republicans, 83 percent of independents, and 76 percent of Democrats. Despite clearly expressed views of the American people, some argue that term limits would overly empower unelected staff and bureaucracy. Others argue that a semi-permanent legislative class is the best way Congress should function, despite how the Founders fought a revolution to get away from exactly this.”
Noting how tough it is to amend the Constitution, Rooney noted that his bill, which he insisted was “a disruptive, game-changing measure," had a better chance of passing and “could instill public confidence in Congress and set the stage for a wave of innovation and accomplishment.”
Noting that term limits work well at the state level, Rooney also pointed out that several of the Founding Fathers “served their country for a time and returned to private life, or...went on to serve in a different way.”
Rooney also said term limits would improve the political culture.
“Even though some Washington pundits and some of the so-called ‘special interests’ might disagree, I would argue that regular rotation of elected officials would stimulate more fresh ideas and make our legislators more independent. Once these limits take root, a new culture might arise which would be indomitable,” Rooney insisted.
“The Thomas Jefferson Public Service Act could help more closely align the Congress with the electorate,” Rooney concluded.
The bill has seven cosponsors including U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla, and was sent to the U.S. House House Administration Oversight and Government Reform Committees on Tuesday. So far, there is no Senate counterpart.
