TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

WHEREAS, Congress was originally envisioned by the Founding Fathers as a nonpartisan, part-time legislative body whose members would take time from their normal businesses and professions to attend the congressional session for four or five months annually; and

WHEREAS, The press of the nation's business has forced the Congress to become increasingly a highly structured, professional, and hierarchical institution, rather than the informal, flexible gathering of citizens and legal intellects that served in the Federalist Era; and

WHEREAS, The power of the incumbency has grown over time, and with the institution of electronic media to the point that the incumbent is nearly unassailable in a normal election; and

WHEREAS, The seniority system in the Congress, though recently reformed, still places disproportionate stress on electoral longevity; and

WHEREAS, Innovative ideas and rejuvenated vigor are more likely to come to the Congress through new members fresh from close association with the American people; and

WHEREAS, The most common complaint that the public makes about congressional service is that Congressmen spend more of their time running for office than attending to their duties; and

WHEREAS, The power of incumbency makes biennial congressional elections an expensive, exasperating, and ultimately, rather meaningless waste of each congressional representative's time and talents; and

WHEREAS, Under Article V of the Constitution of the United States, an amendment to the Constitution may be proposed by Congress, or on the application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the states, the Congress shall call a constitutional convention for the purpose of proposing an amendment, which, in either case, shall become part of the Constitution when ratified by three-fourths of the several States;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Washington, That the Congress of the United States is hereby petitioned to propose an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, for submission to the states for ratification, to provide that no person shall be eligible to be elected to either the United States House of Representatives or the United States Senate, if that person has served twelve or more years in that office, and no federal judge may serve more than twelve years in any position; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That alternatively, effective July 1, 1991, that pursuant to Article V of the Constitution of the United States, the Legislature of the State of Washington makes application to the Congress of the United States to call a convention for the specific and exclusive purpose of proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, for submission to the states for ratification, to provide that no person shall be eligible to be elected to either the United States House of Representatives or the United States Senate, if that person has served twelve or more years in that office, and no federal judge may serve more than twelve years in any position; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That if Congress proposes and submits to the states for ratification, within sixty days after the legislatures of two-thirds of the states have made application for such convention, an amendment to the Constitution of the United States similar in subject matter to that contained in this Memorial, then this application for a convention shall no longer be of any force or effect; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this application and request be deemed null and void, rescinded, and of no effect in the event that such convention not be limited to such specific and exclusive purpose; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this application by this Legislature constitutes a continuing application in accordance with Article V of the Constitution of the United States until at least two-thirds of the legislatures of the several states have made application for a similar convention pursuant to Article V or the Congress has proposed an amendment to the Constitution of the United States similar in subject matter to that contained in this Memorial; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That certified copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted buy the secretary of state to the president and the secretary of the United States Senate, to the speaker and the clerk of the United States House of Representatives, to each member of this state's delegation to the Congress and to the presiding officer of each house of each state legislature in the United States.