Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 2, 1994 TAG: 9408020100
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY REED
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
B.F., Dublin
A: No and no.
The football hall of fame has no provision to remove anyone from membership once he has been elected.
``Our job is to record history, and O.J.'s role in history has not changed,'' a hall of fame spokesman said. Simpson was elected on the basis of his pro football record.
The baseball and basketball halls of fame also said no one ever has been expelled.
The Baseball Hall of Fame has experienced some controversy over its eligibility standards, which have kept out a few players-most notably Pete Rose, who was banned from baseball for gambling on games.|
Political term limits
Q: What would have to happen legislatively for term limits to be established by members of the U.S. Senate or House? Secondly, what would have to happen if term limits were to be initiated by the citizenry?
R.G., Roanoke
A: Several points arise here.
First, the U.S. Supreme Court is considering a term-limits appeal from Arkansas, and that ruling sometime next spring will determine what can be done on the federal level.
Should the high court OK term limits, Congress theoretically could pass a ceiling on how many times a lawmaker could be re-elected.
In reality, a majority of members have been in Congress longer than most term-limit proposals would allow, so they'd probably try to stop such a bill before it came to a vote.
If term limits are ruled illegal, Congress could establish them by passing a constitutional amendment by two-thirds vote of both houses and by gaining approval from a majority of state legislatures.
Clearing those hurdles would be virtually impossible given the current makeup of Congress and most state assemblies.
Citizen-initiated term limits are a different matter.
Fifteen states have put in term limits by this process, but Virginians can't initiate referendums. The General Assembly's approval is needed before a referendum can be placed on the ballot.
In Virginia, term-limit legislation was proposed this year by Del. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg. Democrats buried it in committee.
Generally speaking, in many states Republicans favor term limits as a way of uprooting veteran Democratic legislators who hold committee chairmanships.
Two sources in Washington-an advocacy group called U.S. Term Limits and Stephen Moore of the Cato Institute-both said the best way for Virginians to move for term limits is to vote for candidates who favor them.
Got a question about something that might affect other people too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.
by CNB