[20030730]RS21574_众议院任期改为四年的提案.pdf

1At the time of the drafting of the Constitution, the members of the lower branch of the SouthCarolina legislature were elected every two years, while Connecticut and Rhode Island electedtheir members every six months (Federalist Papers No. 53).Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS21574Updated July 30, 2003Proposals to Change theHouse Term of Office to Four YearsSula P. RichardsonAnalyst in American National GovernmentGovernment and Finance DivisionSummaryThe Constitution prescribes a two-year term of office for Members of the U.S.House of Representatives (Article I, Section 2). Some observers have suggested thatthe term should be longer, particularly in light of the growth in the number ofconstituents represented, demands on Members time, volume and complexity oflegislation, and costs of election campaigns. A change in the length of the term wouldrequire an amendment to the Constitution. Representative Charles Stenholm of Texashas introduced a proposal that would provide for electing Representatives to one termof two years and two terms of four years within each ten-year census cycle. Theresolution H.