Kansas HCR 5001: Providing for joint sessions of the Senate and the House of Representatives for the purpose of hearing messages from the Governor and the Supreme Court.

Bill Text

Session of 2025
House Concurrent Resolution No. 5001
By Representative Sutton
1-10
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION making application to the Congress
of the United States for a limited national convention for the exclusive
purpose of proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United
States establishing term limits for members of Congress.
WHEREAS, The framers of the Constitution of the United States of
America intended that the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S.
Senate of the United States of America should be "dependent on the
people alone" (James Madison, Federalist 52); and
WHEREAS, Throughout American history, this dependency has evolved
from a dependency on the American people alone to a dependency on
powerful special interests, through spending by third-party groups,
campaigns or out-of-state donors, which have created a fundamental
imbalance in our representative democracy and eroded the people's
trust in government; and
WHEREAS, Americans across the political spectrum agree that elections
in the United States of America should be free from the
disproportional influence of special interests and fair enough that any
citizen can be elected into office; and
WHEREAS, The Constitution of the State of Kansas states that "all
political power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are
founded on their authority, and are instituted for their equal protection
and benefit" (Bill of Rights, Section 2); and
WHEREAS, Article V of the Constitution of the United States requires
the Congress of the United States to call a convention for proposing
amendments to the Constitution of the United States upon the
application of two-thirds of the legislatures of the several states; and
WHEREAS, The Kansas Legislature perceives the need for a convention
in order to ensure balance and integrity in our elections by proposing
an amendment to the Constitution of the United States that will
establish term limits for members of Congress to prevent the
accumulation of inordinate power in members with longevity who are
able to amass high amounts of funds for reelection; and
WHEREAS, A national convention would give the American people an
opportunity to come together as a nation, by discussing solutions on
how to ensure the integrity of our elections and renew the American
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HCR 5001 2
people's trust in government; and
WHEREAS, Article V of the Constitution of the United States clearly
states that any amendment, whether proposed by the Congress of the
United States or by a convention, must be ratified by 75% of the
states, presently 38 states, ensuring that only the most reasonable
proposals with widespread support shall become part of the
Constitution of the United States; and
WHEREAS, Notwithstanding any federal or Kansas law to the contrary,
the State of Kansas desires its delegates to such a national convention
to be composed equally of individuals currently elected to state and
local offices or to be selected by election in each congressional district
in Kansas, except that all individuals elected or appointed to federal
office, now or in the past, shall be prohibited from serving as Kansas
delegates. The State of Kansas intends to retain the ability to enforce
the responsibility and conduct of its delegation within the limits herein
expressed: Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Legislature of the State of Kansas, two-thirds of the
members elected (or appointed) and qualified to the House of
Representatives and two-thirds of the members elected (or appointed)
and qualified to the Senate concurring therein: That the people of the
State of Kansas, speaking through its legislature and pursuant to
Article V of the Constitution of the United States, hereby apply to the
Congress of the United States to call a convention for the exclusive
purpose of proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United
States to set a limit on the number of terms that a person may be
elected as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the
U.S. Senate; and
Be it further resolved: That the Secretary of State shall send enrolled
copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, the Vice
President of the United States in the Vice President's capacity as
presiding officer of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the
United States House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the
United States House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of
the United States Senate, each Senator and Representative from
Kansas in the Congress of the United States, with the respectful
request that the full and complete text of this resolution be printed in
the Congressional Record, the presiding officers of each legislative
body of each of the several states, requesting the cooperation of the
states in issuing an application compelling the Congress of the United
States to call a convention for proposing amendments pursu