Arkansans elect 100 state representatives every two years. Their 35 state senators get four years in oft ce with each election. Until 1992, the only term limits voters needed to impose were the ones they exercised with their ballots on Election Day.
That was, and still is, our preference for how representative government is carried out, but advocates for term limits carried the day in 1992by convincing voters to place limits on themselves. No matter how great or smart a lawmaker might turn out, a representative gets a maximum of three two-year termsand a senator can serve two four-year terms. After that, their legislative contributions to the future of Arkansas are void, as in no good.
The impact of that decision continues to be felt every election cycle, when important institutional knowledge is unceremoniously ushered out of the Capitol because of term limits that have proven too strict. Districts who lose their representatives to term limits then have to elect someone else to start learning about the state’s issues from scratch.
At times, that works. Other times, it’s easy to see needlessly lost benefit of expertise.
For more than 20 years, Arkansas has lived with term limits and the impact of high turnover in the legislative branch. State lawmakers think there’s a better way: Keep term limits, but extend them. They decided to ask voters in 2014 to approve House Joint Resolution 1009, which would liberalize the rules to keep experienced lawmakers in place a little while.
The resolution will allow lawmakers to spend up to 16 years in the Legislature. Those years could be spent in the House or the Senate, or any combination. It could be eight terms in the House or four terms in the Senate. It could also be two terms in the House and three in the Senate. You get the idea.
Keep in mind: The change is no guarantee of election. Candidates will still have to convince a majority of voters to send them back to Little Rock.
A national term limits advocacy group has asked lawmakers to withdraw the 2014 ballot question, suggesting they “cooked up” the self-serving changes. And yes, they certainly can be self-serving to incumbents, but we’re also convinced longer term possibilities will be good for Arkansas.
Current terms put too much power in the hands of lobbyists and unelected bureaucrats. This shift - not an elimination - in term limits, along with related ethics standards, will give state government a vital adjustment and preserve institutional knowledge among elected representatives.
It’s at least worth asking the voters after 22 years.
WATCH OUT! SPOOKY CHARACTERS ARE OUT THERE
A quick reminder to everyone of driving age: Stay alert today as thousands of youngsters in our community hit the streets tonight for the annual sugar-induced display of cute, wild or scary costumes.
True danger lurks when cars and pedestrians mix, and Halloween creates a phalanx of characters wondering through neighborhoods in search of candy and friends to share the experience with.
Motorists need to slow down and recognize not every pedestrian will make the right decisions about yielding to oncoming traftc. Those on foot need to be constantly vigilant of their surroundings and must carry lighting and refl ective materials that make their presence clear to drivers.
Fun is certainly the aim of tonight’s festivities, but safety must be the No. 1 objective.
Opinion, Pages 5 on 10/31/2013