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Arkansas House rejects Article V convention resolution on congressional term limits after extended debate
Summary
House Joint Resolution 1,004, which sought Arkansasapplication for an Article V convention to propose congressional term limits, failed after floor debate and a recorded vote. Sponsors and opponents exchanged arguments about popular control, constitutional process and historical precedent; a later motion to reconsider also failed.
The Arkansas House voted down House Joint Resolution 1,004, a measure asking Congress to call an Article V convention to propose an amendment to impose term limits on members of the U.S. Congress.
Representative Lademan, sponsor of the resolution, framed it as a response to perceived long tenures in Congress and said the Article V route is an available constitutional remedy: "In Article 5 of the Constitution of The United States, it states that there are 2 ways to amend the Constitution," he told colleagues, adding he believed many Arkansans favor term limits.
Opponents argued the change would undercut votersauthority to decide representation. Representative Wardlaw said the people already exercise term limits at the ballot box and warned against substituting legislative fixes for voters' choices: "The people control term limits. They should always control term limits," she said. Representative Scott Richardson also opposed the measure and urged lawmakers to consider broader consequences, referencing historical changes to the Senate's selection process.
After discussion and several exchanges between proponents and opponents, the House recorded a roll-call vote on the resolution; the presiding officer announced that the resolution had failed. Later in the day Representative Andrews moved to reconsider; that motion was debated and voted down, so the initial outcome stood.
Why it matters: The resolution would have sent Arkansas into a multistate push for a convention of states under Article V, a politically and legally consequential step. Supporters said it would force turnover in long-tenured congressional delegations; opponents said it would bypass voter control and could have unintended constitutional effects.
Votes and next steps: The resolution was defeated on the floor and a subsequent motion to reconsider also failed, leaving Arkansas without a current application for an Article V convention on term limits.
Context and sources: The discussion and votes occurred during the House floor session recorded in the day's transcript. The debate included sponsor Representative Lademan and floor opponents including Representatives Wardlaw and Scott Richardson; Representative McCollum and others asked procedural and substantive questions during the exchange.
The House moved on to other business after the votes.
