The Michigan Constitution currently allows people to serve as legislators for three terms in the House of Representatives and two terms in the Senate. With House terms lasting two years and Senate terms lasting four, the maximum amount of time a person can serve as a legislator is 14 years.[1]
Proposal 1 would eliminate these separate limits for each chamber and replace them with an overall maximum term limit of 12 years. This lengthens the amount of time a legislator can serve in a single chamber but shortens by two years the total amount of time a legislator could potentially be in office.
There are 15 states with legislative term limits.[2] Terms range from the eight years someone can serve in Nebraska’s unicameral Legislature to the 24 years allowed in Louisiana and Nevada. Those states permit legislators to serve for 12 years in each of their legislative chambers.[3]
Proposal 1 would establish the same term limits for Michigan that are used in Oklahoma, California and Arkansas.
States vary in the type of limit placed on legislative terms. Ten states allow people to run again for a legislative office after they reach their limit on consecutive terms, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.[4] These states require elected officials to seek office in another chamber or take a break (typically for two years) from their legislative service before running for office again.
Michigan’s current term limits do not allow for this and prohibit people from running for legislative office again once they have reached the limit. Four other states — Missouri, California, Oklahoma and Nevada — do the same. Proposal 1 does not change that policy.
Proposal 1 also does not amend the term limits that apply to the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state or attorney general. Elected officials are limited to two four-year terms in those executive branch positions.[5]