HJ0019 LRB099 05739 MST 25783 r
1		HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, Our founding fathers declared independence from
3		Great Britain after suffering from violations of their rights
4		and the abuses of taxation from the British government as a
5		result of hereditary rule; and
6		WHEREAS, After seeing firsthand the abominable effects of
7		single, long-term rule our founding fathers chose
8		republicanism instead of a monarchy and hereditary rule; and
9		WHEREAS, Even before the United States Constitution was
10		drafted, the founding fathers believed in terms limits, as the
11		Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 set a maximum service of 3
12		years in the Pennsylvania General Assembly followed by a
13		mandatory 4-year break; and
14		WHEREAS, During the Constitutional Convention, Thomas
15		Jefferson urged term limits as part of law "to prevent every
16		danger which might arise to American freedom by continuing too
17		long in office the members of the Continental Congress"; and
18		WHEREAS, Thomas Jefferson's sentiment was established in
19		the Articles of Confederation as "no person shall be capable of
20		being a delegate [to the Continental Congress] for more than 3
21		years in any term of 6 years"; and

HJ0019 - 2 - LRB099 05739 MST 25783 r
1		WHEREAS, Although term limits were not written into the
2		Constitution, President George Washington established a
3		precedent for a 2-term rule, as he left office despite public
4		urging that he remain in office; and
5		WHEREAS, Lack of term limits has placed a great strain on
6		state governments, as well as the United States Congress, as
7		long-serving members have forgotten the wise words of our
8		founding fathers and legislative politics has taken a more
9		encompassing role than that of citizens' needs; and
10		WHEREAS, A lack of term limits contributes to one-party
11		rule, a travesty that is further enhanced by electoral district
12		boundaries drawn by state legislatures; and
13		WHEREAS, Redistricting of electoral district boundaries,
14		when done by state legislatures, leads to legislative politics
15		as members try to maintain power; and
16		WHEREAS, Electoral district boundaries should be drawn by
17		an independent entity, without thought of political party; and
18		WHEREAS, In an effort to reduce the role of large private
19		contributions in Presidential elections, Congress created a
20		public 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
2		Presidential candidate receives during the primary campaign to
3		fund the major-party nominees' general election campaigns and
4		to assist eligible minor-party nominees; and
5		WHEREAS, Many states have seen the influence of large
6		private contributions in state elections, and many of those
7		contributors expect payback in the form of earmarks, contracts,
8		or plum government appointments; and
9		WHEREAS, Because of the corrupting influence of money, many
10		Americans have lost faith in politics and government; and
11		WHEREAS, Article V of the United States Constitution
12		requires the United States Congress to call a convention for
13		proposing amendments upon application of two-thirds of the
14		legislatures of the several states for the purpose of proposing
15		amendments to the United States Constitution; and
16		WHEREAS, The State of Illinois sees the need for a
17		convention to propose amendments in order to address concerns,
18		including those raised by the lack of term limits, the practice
19		of redistricting established by state legislatures, and the
20		influence of large private contributions in state elections;
21		and

HJ0019 - 4 - LRB099 05739 MST 25783 r
1		WHEREAS, The State of Illinois desires that the delegates
2		to the convention be composed equally of individuals currently
3		elected to State and local office or be selected by election in
4		each Congressional district for the purpose of serving as
5		delegates; however, all individuals elected or appointed to
6		federal office, now or in the past, shall be prohibited from
7		serving as delegates to the Convention; the State of Illinois
8		intends to retain the ability to restrict or expand the power
9		of its delegates within the limits expressed above; and
10		WHEREAS, The State of Illinois intends that this be a
11		continuing application, considered together with applications
12		calling for a convention and all others passed, pending, and
13		future applications, the aforementioned concerns of Illinois
14		notwithstanding until such time as two-thirds of the several
15		states have applied for a Convention and that Convention is
16		convened by Congress; therefore, be it
17		RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
18		NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
19		SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we hereby make application to
20		the Congress, under the provisions of Article V of the
21		Constitution of the United States, for the calling of a
22		convention for proposing amendments; and be it further
23		RESOLVED, That this application be deemed an application

HJ0019 - 5 - LRB099 05739 MST 25783 r
1		for a convention to address each or any of the subjects listed
2		in this resolution; for purposes of determining whether
3		two-thirds of the states have applied for a convention
4		addressing any subject, this application is to be aggregated
5		with the applications of any other state legislatures limited
6		to one or more of the subjects listed in this resolution; and
7		be it further
8		RESOLVED, That this resolution constitutes a continuing
9		application and remains in effect until repeal by any sitting
10		session of the legislature of this State; this application does
11		not constitute a recognition that any particular activity or
12		activities currently undertaken by the federal government is or
13		are authorized by the Constitution; and be it further
14		RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
15		delivered to the President and Secretary of the United States
16		Senate; the Speaker and Clerk of the House of Representatives
17		of the United States Congress; the Archivist of the United
18		States; the members of the United States Senate and House of
19		Representatives from this State; and the presiding officers of
20		each of the legislative chambers in the several states,
21		requesting their cooperation.