Should General Assembly Members be Term-Limited?
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Voters would be given the option to make Rhode Island the 16th state to impose term limits on state lawmakers under a bill set to be discussed by Senate Committee on Special Legislation and Veterans’ Affairs this week.
Introduced by first-term State Senator Dawson Hodgson, the legislation would lengthen State Senators’ terms to four years with a limit of serving two consecutive terms and would allow State Representatives serve four, two-year terms. If passed, the question would appear on this November’s ballot.
“These limits would move the Rhode Island General Assembly more in line with the federal legislative model,” Senator Hodgson said earlier this year. “As a as a first-term senator, I’m acutely aware of how quickly a two year term elapses. Longer terms will allow senators to focus more on doing the work of the people rather than focusing on reelection efforts, itself a time-consuming process.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTHodgson isn’t the first local lawmaker to propose term limits for General Assembly members. In 2008 Rep. Stephen Ucci called for legislators to be restricted to three, four-year terms in office.
“Longer, four-year terms for lawmakers would result in more stability in the legislature and ultimately, more voter trust and confidence in the General Assembly,” Ucci said at the time. “Most legislators cannot accomplish everything they’d like to for their communities in a two-year term. Increasing the term length would allow legislators to spend less time dealing with campaign and fundraising issues and more time carrying out the wishes of their constituents.”
All five of the state’s general office holders (Governor, Lt. Governor, General Treasurer, Secretary of State and Attorney General) are restricted to two consecutive four-year terms in office. In Providence, the Mayor can serve two, four-year terms while members of the City Council are allowed to serve three, four-year terms in office.
The majority of the 15 states that currently impose term limits began doing so after the 2000 elections. According to information compiled by the National Conference of State Legislatures, voters in the states that do have term limits overwhelmingly supported the changes. In Colorado, Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Louisiana and Nevada, more than 70 percent of voters approved term limits. In 2006, Providence voters supported local term limits by a two-to-one margin.
Maine is the only state in New England with term limits. Voters in Massachusetts supported limits, but the State Supreme Court overturned those changes five years ago.
The number of termed-out legislators across the country has risen significantly over the last several election cycles. In 2010, 380 lawmakers were no longer eligible to run for office. In 2008, the number was 309.
If you valued this article, please LIKE GoLocalProv.com on Facebook by clicking HERE.
