How to Write a Term Limit Proposal

Term limits restrict the total number of years a congressperson serves.

The National Council of State Legislatures reported that, as of 2009, there were 15 U.S. states that had imposed some type of term limits on their congressional representatives. Term limits are laws passed to restrict the total number of years that a senator, representative or governor can serve in office. The term limits may be expressed either in total number of years served or in total number of terms served. Proposals to limit terms must consider which offices to recommend for the limit and whether the limit will permit reentry into an office after a period of absence.

Instructions

1. Look at current term limit legislation. The National Council of State Legislatures publishes a chart of the states with term limits. Consult the legislation from these states to find potential models for your term limit proposal. Check for trends in how many terms or years these states allows their representatives to serve.

2. Determine which officials should be subject to term limits. Term limits can be imposed on any public officials. You must decide whether governors, state legislators, or federal senators and members of the U.S. House of Representatives will be the subject of your written term limit proposal.

3. Read the literature explaining the rationale for term limits. Learn the arguments for and against term limits. You will need to defend your position in the term limit proposal, so be familiar with arguments against them and find ways to discredit those arguments.

4. Draft a proposal. Your proposal should include the following sections: introduction to term limits, brief explanation of current state of term limits in the U.S., proposed term limits in your jurisdiction, expected opposition or support for your proposal, concluding remarks regarding what to do next. You may also consider adding other sections, including an explanation of the audience for which the term limit proposal is written.

5. Ask for comments to your draft. Have knowledgeable policy-makers read and make suggestions to improve your drafts. Redraft the proposal according to their comments and edits.

6. Finalize your draft. Your term limit proposal should make a compelling argument to impose limits in your jurisdiction, after exploring the current situation and the supporting and opposing arguments for term limits. Proofread the draft and ensure that it is free of errors.

References

• National Council of Street Legislatures: The Term Limited States

Resources

• CATO Institute: Policy Analysis: Real Term Limits Now More Than Ever
• The New American: Term Limits, Still a Bad Idea