Purpose

The measure is a joint resolution from Minnesota asking the United States Congress to call a convention under Article V of the U.S. Constitution. The convention would be limited to proposing a constitutional amendment that places a limit on the number of terms a person may be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and to the U.S. Senate. The preamble presents reasons related to democratic governance, arguing that term limits could reduce the influence of special interests, allow lawmakers to focus more on policy, and encourage new ideas in Congress.

Main Provisions

• The resolution requests Congress to call a convention that is limited to proposing a constitutional amendment about term limits for Members of the U.S. House and Senate.
• Minnesota’s application is to be treated as the same subject matter as similar applications from other states and aggregated with those to reach the two-thirds threshold required to motivate Congress to act.
• The application is a continuing one under Article V, remaining in effect until at least two-thirds of the state legislatures have made applications on the same subject.
• The Secretary of State of Minnesota must prepare copies of the resolution and transmit them to: the Speaker and the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives; the President and the Secretary of the U.S. Senate; the U.S. Secretary of State; and Minnesota’s Senators and Representatives in Congress, as well as the presiding officers of each state’s legislative houses, requesting their cooperation.

Significance and Limitations

• This bill does not itself change federal or Minnesota law; it is a procedural step to pursue a federal constitutional convention for the specific purpose of term limits on Congress.
• The proposed convention would be limited to the topic of term limits (the exact term limits are not specified in this bill).
• The resolution counts toward the national threshold only with other states’ applications on the same subject and cannot be merged with applications on different subjects.

Process and Next Steps

• If two-thirds of state legislatures apply on the same subject, Congress would be required to call a limited convention.
• Any amendments proposed at such a convention would still need ratification by the states to become part of the U.S. Constitution.

Administrative Details

• The Minnesota Secretary of State is directed to distribute copies of the resolution to the named federal and state officials to seek their cooperation.

Contextual Notes

• The measure frames term limits as a means to promote a "citizen legislature" and reduce the influence of special interests, according to the preamble.

Relevant Terms

term limits; constitutional amendment; Article V; convention; two-thirds; states; aggregate/aggregated; continuing application; Speaker of the House; Clerk of the House; President; Secretary of the Senate; U.S. Secretary of State; Minnesota Senators; Minnesota Representatives; presiding officers; legislative bodies; cooperation; joint resolution