Sen. Tim Green: It's time to rethink term limits

(From Sen. Tim Green, D-Spanish Lake)

The time has come for a public debate on the merits of term limits, a discussion that attempts to answer the central questions relating to term limits: 1) have term limits fulfilled their promise?; 2) have term limits in their present form best served the people of Missouri?; and 3) have term limits been good for the legislative process?

Reviewing the actions of the Missouri Legislature during the past several years, especially the recent unproductive special session on economic development and jobs, I would submit that term limits have failed. I am sponsoring SJR 43 to address this failure. While I will not be able to benefit from the extended term limits created by SJR 43, I have hope that future generations of elected officials will once again be able to govern better by having more time in office.

It is through the few senior members, both Democrats and Republicans, that a reservoir of policy expertise keeps the executive branch in check. Checks and balances are vital for democracy and for a government to be held accountable to the people it serves. Most studies show that long-serving members are less likely to pander to short term whims and more likely to take a long-term view.

In 1999, the average tenure was 9.3 years in the Senate and 5.7 years for the House. By 2003, the average tenure had dropped to 1.4 years for the House, and in 2005, the average tenure was 1.9 years for the Senate.

There is a "learning curve'' that takes at least two or three years before a newly elected lawmaker becomes fully cognizant of complex policy issues. Perhaps there’s a balance: term limits that provide enough time for experience to grow and affect change but not so much time that corruption and senility can set in. State government is now run by special interests that are the only source of knowledge.

Removing the most able legislators from office and restricting the right of citizens to choose through the ballot box has greatly reduced the effectiveness and integrity of our governance. Term limits are one of those things that sound good on paper to some who thought they could break the stranglehold of career politicians, but it is a disaster in practice. Unfortunately, most people do not pay sufficient attention to the Missouri Legislature to realize this fact.

When I was elected to the Missouri Senate, I had the advantage of over a decade of legislative experience. I found that the legislative realm is a unique institution that requires skills not taught anywhere else. In the twenty-one years I’ve served, (which is as long as it takes a person to reach the legal drinking age) the Legislature has been in regular session only 8.75 years. Regular session lasts only five months every year starting in early January and ending by mid-May.

It has become popular is both national and state government not to compromise which is no way to govern in a democracy. Former state Senator John E. Scott once shared, “If you can’t change a mind; you can’t change anything.” As a born and bred Missourian, my observation has been that we are an independent lot, willing to listen to all sides of an issue with good old fashioned Missouri common sense. When more knowledge is forthcoming, we’ve even been known to change our collective mind.