Timothy Roemer: “I rise in firm opposition to term limits for Members of Congress. Since I was elected to Congress, I have been a leading…”

“I rise in firm opposition to term limits for Members of Congress. Since I was elected to Congress, I have been a leading advocate for congressional reform. I have supported scheduling reform, cuts to committees and staff, and simplifying the operations of the House. But we do not need term limits to make changes in Congress. The last three elections clearly demonstrate the power of the ballot. Almost 80 percent of this body, including myself, was elected after 1990. Today, 190 Members are serving their first or second terms. That is, 43 percent of the House has been elected since 1994. Why should we enact constitutionally imposed term limits when a near majority of this Chamber does not know what it was like to serve under democratic rule? Within my delegation alone, 7 of 10 Members--including myself--have been elected to represent Indiana in the 1990's. Mr. Chairman, real term limits are at the ballot box, and that is where they should stay. The people are the best judge of who ought to represent them and they can be trusted to choose their representatives without government stepping in to arbitrarily regulate their choice. We should not block the prerogative of the American people. It is unfortunate that term limits ignore the need for experience in Congress.”