Jim Rosica
In a legislative equivalent of a Hail Mary pass, the Democratic leader of the GOP-controlled state House has filed legislation to extend the terms of state lawmakers from eight years to 12 years.
State Rep. Mark Pafford of West Palm Beach submitted the bill (HJR 711) on Wednesday for the 2016 Legislative Session.
The change would require amending the state constitution; term limits of eight years were themselves approved by Florida voters in 1992 as a constitutional amendment.
Term limits, however, are favored by the conservative majority that now controls both chambers, so it’s unlikely the bill will go far, if it even gets a hearing.
The measure does have a Republican supporter in the Senate, however. State Sen. Rene Garcia of Miami filed the identical companion bill in that chamber.
Pafford, who himself faces term limits next year, couldn’t be immediately reached by phone.
His office later announced a press conference Thursday at 11:30 a.m. with Garcia to discuss the measure.
The Legislature may propose constitutional amendments but they too must be OK’d by 60 percent of statewide voters, the same as citizen initiatives.
It would apply to those elected in 2016 “or any election thereafter,” the bill says.
Fifteen states, including Florida, have imposed term limits on legislators, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In another six states, legislative term limits were enacted but later repealed or struck down by courts.
Pafford’s bill also would remove language from the state constitution that limits terms of the state’s U.S. senators and representatives; those limits were previously struck down.
3 comments
Philip Blumel
November 18, 2015 at 2:35 pm
This is ridiculous. Term limits have been successful in Florida and are enormously popular as a result. Rep. Pafford is putting his own personal self interests ahead of his state’s and his constituents’ interests.
John Petersen
May 4, 2016 at 2:59 pm
That’s false. Term limits have actually made the state legislature more incompetent as new legislators are less experienced and thus subject to the whims of the governor and legislative staff. To suggest otherwise is to ignore the facts
JimRosicaFL
May 4, 2016 at 3:24 pm
For what it’s worth, this bill died in its first committee this past session and never got a hearing.
Comments are closed.