When Pennsylvania lawmakers return to Harrisburg in 2027, congressional term limits should be near the top of their agenda.

Pennsylvania should pass a resolution applying for an amendment convention limited to proposing term limits on members of Congress.

Why? Because Washington is not going to reform itself.

This is hardly a partisan issue in Pennsylvania. A statewide survey found 79% of Pennsylvania voters supported congressional term limits, including 78% of Republicans and 79% of Democrats. Seventy-four percent said they wanted their state legislators to support an Article V application for congressional term limits.

How many issues unite nearly eight out of 10 Pennsylvania voters today?

Yet Harrisburg has failed to act.

In 2025, a bipartisan group of Pennsylvania House members sponsored House Resolution 111, calling for a convention specifically to consider congressional term limits. It was referred to committee and went no further.

In 2027, Pennsylvania should take action. The case for term limits is straightforward.

Members arrive in Washington promising to change Congress. Too often, Congress changes them. The longer politicians remain in office, the more advantages they accumulate: fundraising networks, staff, name recognition, seniority, political connections and relationships with powerful special interests.

Public service becomes a career.

Term limits would change those incentives. Members would arrive knowing their time in Washington is temporary. There would be less incentive to build a decades-long political career and more incentive to accomplish something while they have the opportunity to serve.

But there is an obvious obstacle.

Congress.

Why would members of Congress voluntarily surrender their own power, seniority and job security?

They probably won’t unless the states force their hand.

The Constitution allows amendments to be proposed by Congress or through a convention called after two-thirds of the states — 34 today — apply for one. Any amendment proposed through that process would still have to be ratified by three-fourths of the states.

Opponents frequently raise the specter of a constitutional convention as a reason for Pennsylvania not to act. But they overlook something important: The convention will never happen.

The closer the states get to 34 applications, the greater the pressure becomes on Congress to act first.

Imagine 30 states have applied. Then 31. Then 32. Then 33.

At that point, members of Congress face a choice.

They can allow one more state to trigger the convention process and risk surrendering control over the term-limits amendment, or Congress can preempt the convention by proposing a term-limits amendment itself.

That is not a flaw in the strategy. It is the strategy.

The convention mechanism has never actually been used, but state application campaigns historically have been used to pressure — or “prod” — Congress toward proposing amendments itself. For example, states started moving in 1945 to call a convention to limit presidential terms. Congress seeing the progress being made passed the 22nd Amendment that the states ratified limiting presidents to two terms.

The threat of a convention creates leverage that ordinary resolutions, campaign promises and public opinion simply do not.

Pennsylvania should help create that leverage.

And few states have a stronger historical responsibility to do so.

Pennsylvania shouldn’t merely celebrate the Constitution or point tourists toward Independence Hall. We should use the constitutional authority the Founders gave the states when Washington refuses to reform itself.

There is something especially fitting about Pennsylvania helping lead this effort.

The Constitution was written here because America’s leaders recognized that the existing system of government wasn’t working and fundamental reform was necessary.

Nearly 240 years later, Pennsylvania can again help force Washington to confront a structural problem it refuses to solve itself.

Republicans should support this. Democrats should support it. Independents should support it.

And Pennsylvania legislators should recognize the rare opportunity before them: championing a reform overwhelmingly supported by voters across party lines.

For decades, Americans have complained about career politicians while waiting for career politicians to limit their own careers.

It hasn’t happened.

It probably never will without pressure from the states.

In 2027, Pennsylvania should apply that pressure.

Pass the congressional term-limits resolution. Move America one state closer to the constitutional threshold. Force Congress to decide whether it will finally act or risk having the states take the lead.

Pennsylvania helped write the Constitution.

Now it’s time for Pennsylvania to use it.

John Eichelberger and Andy Dinniman are the state co-chairs for U.S. Term Limits and are former Pennsylvania state senators.