Senate approves measure to repeal term limits

Senators crossed party lines on March 1 to pass a measure that repeals term limits for legislators.

Now moving to the House for approval, SCR1007 would nullify the constitutional provision that restricts legislators from serving more than four consecutive two-year terms in the same office.

Sen. Carolyn Allen, a Republican from Scottsdale, sponsored the measure, even though she initially supported the term limit amendment that passed in 1992. She said term limits have handed more power to lobbyists and staffers because the Legislature has lost the institutional knowledge of longtime lawmakers.

Sen. Sylvia Tenney Allen, a Republican from Snowflake, opposed the measure because she said voters would reject the provision in a landslide to ensure that incumbents are not routinely elected.

“We need people that (have) new energy, people that have not got stuck in their rut with their little special-interest groups that influence them, and so I think change brings new energy to the whole system,” she said.

Sen. Ron Gould, a Republican from Lake Havasu City, also voted against the measure, saying it wouldn’t pass on the ballot either.

“People like term limits, and I don’t just arbitrarily send things to the ballot,” Gould said.