WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND
By Scott Hennen
Host of “What’s On Your Mind?” Radio Show
heard on the Flag Family Network including KTGO 1090AM in Watford City, Williston and Tioga, North Dakota
It’s not a popular political opinion, but I think term limits are a bad idea. Voters already have the opportunity to hire or fire politicians every two years. That is how our founding fathers envisioned governance in America by holding citizen legislators accountable via elections. The authors of our state Constitution obviously thought term limits were un-wise likely because of the negative impacts from major turnover. Unless the legislature takes action to challenge the current language enshrined in the Constitution by a 2022 initiated measure, half of the legislature will be gone in 2028. Two years later, the other half will be out. Before you cheer that idea, consider who that hands the levers of power too.
“This would mean that there will be a shift in power”, North Dakota Senate Majority leader David Hogue of Minot told me. “I call it raw power that will be taken away from the people’s elected representatives to lobbyists and executive branch agency heads who are going to have a wealth of knowledge, “ he said. “And we all know that knowledge is the equivalent of power in, in terms of making policy.”
This will result in a “brain drain” says Representative Mike Nathe of Bismarck. “I’m very afraid because our state is in great condition right now financially,” Nathe told me. “Soon you’ll have people in the legislature with only one or two sessions of experience. They will not trust their judgment and what they’ll end up doing is leaning on bureaucrats for information.”
Under the current term limits measure approved by voters, North Dakota lawmakers can’t serve more than eight years in the state House and eight years in the state Senate. At least 69 lawmakers will be termed out in 2028 and up to an additional 72 lawmakers will be termed out in 2030, That’s in addition to retirements and resignations.
We can expect a legislative effort to modify term limits ranging from proposing a new ballot measure to eliminating or amending the current law. Ideas being tossed around include increasing the terms or allowing members to sit out for a term and then run again. There will be a legal challenge to the 2022 language that attempts to remove legislative power to make any changes.
The hard truth is there are not many citizens who can upend their lives for 80 days of legislation every other year. Plus the commitments include committee work all year long. That’s why it is hard to convince people to run, especially in the rural areas, which will be hit especially hard. It’s not like we have citizens lining up to run for the legislature now. Replacing the term-limited members will require a Herculean effort.
We’re the first state in 20 years to pass this misguided Constitutional amendment. Some states are looking to repeal term limits because it has had such a negative effect on their state. Repeal or reform should be a top priority this session.
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