Congressional Term Limits

are there term limits for these seats?

Rather than instituting term limits, we could try what the founders set up, and arrange for senators to be representatives of state legislatures, not state populations. Same problem exists, but I'd imagine its harder to buy the backing of a few hundred politicians than one.

Politicians who refuse to retire is a huge, bipartisan problem in the US affecting both genders. Putting an age limit on the president or members of congress would probably have to be done via a constitutional amendment, because the Supreme Court has ruled in the past that states cannot add eligibility requirements that are not in the constitution. One reform that would help in Congress would be to modify the seniority system. Right now, members of Congress gain seniority as long as they keep b

Ironically the debate/discourse here is healthier than anything we see from US Congress. Presidents have a limited number of terms they can serve, but there is no limit on the House and Senate and change is hard if not next to impossible because of this. Term limits would be a good start to introducing positive changes, but good luck finding the necessary majority to vote against their power and very cushy and comfortable lifestyles.

Not something I expected to see on HN, but term limits on federal Senators and Congressional members is long over due.

There's a major problem with term limits. Let's say we fix the House of Representatives so that instead of constantly having to run for (re)election with two year terms, we change them to 4 year terms but limit them to 2. Ignoring the major changes that the committee chair/assignment system would require, no longer having a wide range of seniority, the entire body would suffer because the most experienced any legislator could be would be those elected to their second term, i.e. ye

The House of Representatives would be a better place to start. Presidents have term limits and draw from the broadest pool of voters. Representatives have no term limits, draw from the smallest pools of voters, and are often rewarded for extreme rhetoric and hyper-partisanship.

how does this work for congresspeople already in those seats? does this only take effect next congress?

Not necessarily a bad thing, TBH. Think of it like our Senate in the US. The Senate is a longer view, while the House is the shorter populous public-opinion. Not sure of the Parliamentary influences, but someone who was as respected and revered in an status where one COULD get the longest view on staff (so to say) - why not?

If there were congressional term limits we wouldn't have this problem as much.