HCS SS SCS SJR 1 & 4 -- TERM LIMITS

SPONSOR:  Schneider (O'Toole)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Committee on
Miscellaneous Bills and Resolutions by a vote of 7 to 2.

This proposed constitutional amendment repeals current
legislative term limits and imposes limits of 12 consecutive
years in either house of the General Assembly.  Time served
after January 5, 1994, will be counted.  Service to complete the
term of another person that is less than a full General Assembly
will not be counted.

FISCAL NOTE:  Estimated Net Cost to General Revenue Fund of
$1,243,800 in FY 2002, and $0 in FY 2003 and FY 2004.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that experience in the legislature
is the key to getting things accomplished and that 8 years is
insufficient time in the legislature to learn and accomplish
goals.  Experience in the legislature should count, just like in
other aspects of life; and when a large turnover occurs,
institutional memory is lost.  Limiting the time a member spends
in office does not necessarily get better results.  Many voters
believed they were putting term limits on U.S. congressional and
senatorial members, not state representatives and senators.

Testifying for the bill were Senator Schneider; Jerry Ford;
Association for Retarded Citizens of Missouri; United
Steelworkers of America District 11; Sam Overfelt; John E.
Bardgett, Sr.; Missouri AFL-CIO; Carpenters District Councils of
Kansas City and St. Louis; AFSCME Council 72; Missouri Catholic
Conference; Jewish Community Relations Council; and Missouri
Association of Realtors.

OPPONENTS:  Those who oppose the bill say that 76% of
Missourians clearly supported term limits and based on a January
2001, survey, 74% still support term limits.  They say that
Missouri voters knew what they were voting for at the time term
limits were adopted.

Testifying against the bill was U.S. Term Limits.

Donna Schlosser, Legislative Analyst

Missouri House of Representatives
Last Updated November 26, 2001 at 11:48 am