HJ0019LRB099 05739 MST 25783 r

1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Our founding fathers declared independence from
3Great Britain after suffering from violations of their rights
4and the abuses of taxation from the British government as a
5result of hereditary rule; and
 
6    WHEREAS, After seeing firsthand the abominable effects of
7single, long-term rule our founding fathers chose
8republicanism instead of a monarchy and hereditary rule; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Even before the United States Constitution was
10drafted, the founding fathers believed in terms limits, as the
11Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 set a maximum service of 3
12years in the Pennsylvania General Assembly followed by a
13mandatory 4-year break; and
 
14    WHEREAS, During the Constitutional Convention, Thomas
15Jefferson urged term limits as part of law "to prevent every
16danger which might arise to American freedom by continuing too
17long in office the members of the Continental Congress"; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Thomas Jefferson's sentiment was established in
19the Articles of Confederation as "no person shall be capable of
20being a delegate [to the Continental Congress] for more than 3
21years in any term of 6 years"; and
 

 

 

HJ0019- 2 -LRB099 05739 MST 25783 r

1    WHEREAS, Although term limits were not written into the
2Constitution, President George Washington established a
3precedent for a 2-term rule, as he left office despite public
4urging that he remain in office; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Lack of term limits has placed a great strain on
6state governments, as well as the United States Congress, as
7long-serving members have forgotten the wise words of our
8founding fathers and legislative politics has taken a more
9encompassing role than that of citizens' needs; and
 
10    WHEREAS, A lack of term limits contributes to one-party
11rule, a travesty that is further enhanced by electoral district
12boundaries drawn by state legislatures; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Redistricting of electoral district boundaries,
14when done by state legislatures, leads to legislative politics
15as members try to maintain power; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Electoral district boundaries should be drawn by
17an independent entity, without thought of political party; and
 
18    WHEREAS, In an effort to reduce the role of large private
19contributions in Presidential elections, Congress created a
20public funding program that uses tax dollars to match the first

 

 

HJ0019- 3 -LRB099 05739 MST 25783 r

1$250 of each individual contribution that an eligible
2Presidential candidate receives during the primary campaign to
3fund the major-party nominees' general election campaigns and
4to assist eligible minor-party nominees; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Many states have seen the influence of large
6private contributions in state elections, and many of those
7contributors expect payback in the form of earmarks, contracts,
8or plum government appointments; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Because of the corrupting influence of money, many
10Americans have lost faith in politics and government; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Article V of the United States Constitution
12requires the United States Congress to call a convention for
13proposing amendments upon application of two-thirds of the
14legislatures of the several states for the purpose of proposing
15amendments to the United States Constitution; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois sees the need for a
17convention to propose amendments in order to address concerns,
18including those raised by the lack of term limits, the practice
19of redistricting established by state legislatures, and the
20influence of large private contributions in state elections;
21and
 

 

 

HJ0019- 4 -LRB099 05739 MST 25783 r

1    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois desires that the delegates
2to the convention be composed equally of individuals currently
3elected to State and local office or be selected by election in
4each Congressional district for the purpose of serving as
5delegates; however, all individuals elected or appointed to
6federal office, now or in the past, shall be prohibited from
7serving as delegates to the Convention; the State of Illinois
8intends to retain the ability to restrict or expand the power
9of its delegates within the limits expressed above; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois intends that this be a
11continuing application, considered together with applications
12calling for a convention and all others passed, pending, and
13future applications, the aforementioned concerns of Illinois
14notwithstanding until such time as two-thirds of the several
15states have applied for a Convention and that Convention is
16convened by Congress; therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
18NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
19SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we hereby make application to
20the Congress, under the provisions of Article V of the
21Constitution of the United States, for the calling of a
22convention for proposing amendments; and be it further
 
23    RESOLVED, That this application be deemed an application

 

 

HJ0019- 5 -LRB099 05739 MST 25783 r

1for a convention to address each or any of the subjects listed
2in this resolution; for purposes of determining whether
3two-thirds of the states have applied for a convention
4addressing any subject, this application is to be aggregated
5with the applications of any other state legislatures limited
6to one or more of the subjects listed in this resolution; and
7be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That this resolution constitutes a continuing
9application and remains in effect until repeal by any sitting
10session of the legislature of this State; this application does
11not constitute a recognition that any particular activity or
12activities currently undertaken by the federal government is or
13are authorized by the Constitution; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
15delivered to the President and Secretary of the United States
16Senate; the Speaker and Clerk of the House of Representatives
17of the United States Congress; the Archivist of the United
18States; the members of the United States Senate and House of
19Representatives from this State; and the presiding officers of
20each of the legislative chambers in the several states,
21requesting their cooperation.