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VOICE Act

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Aug 10, 1994

National Voter Opportunity To Inform Congress Effectively on Term Limits Act (VOICE Act) - Requires the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate to certify to appropriate State agencies for inclusion on the 1994 general election ballot in each congressional district a national advisory referendum that asks whether the Congress should propose a constitutional amendment to limit the number of terms that a Member of Congress can serve in office. Requires each State to place such question on the ballot. Requires the results of each State's non-binding referendum on the advisory question to be certified by the State election agency to the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate in the manner and at the same time of the certification of election of Members of the Congress for the general election. Requires the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, in light of the non binding referendum results, to examine whether the Congress should propose an amendment to the Constitution providing for term limits and submit their recommendations for response to the Congress within six months after the general election. Requires the State election agencies to forward to the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate their comments or suggestions regarding changes or improvements in procedures for conducting national non-binding referenda in future general elections. Requires: (1) the costs of including the advisory question required by this Act to be reimbursed by the United States upon submission by the State election agency of the actual costs of conducting the non-binding referendum in the State; and (2) such reimbursements to be made from the franking accounts of the Congress divided equally between the two Houses. Makes the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate responsible for ensuring the proper application for and reimbursement of such expenses.

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Who introduced it

Sen. Hutchison, Kay Bailey [R-TX] · R–TX

Committees

  • Rules and Administration Committee
4 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

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  1. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules.

  2. Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S11171)

  3. Introduced in Senate

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

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Source last updated: Aug 26, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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