Senator pushes bill to term-limit Alabama legislators

Cliff Sims

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March 8, 2015

Senate Education Budget Chairman Trip Pittman, R-Montrose, speaking at the Business Council of Alabama April 9, 2013

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A bill introduced in the Alabama Senate last week would impose term limits on Alabama lawmakers.

Senate Bill 57 sponsored by Sen. Trip Pittman (R-Montrose) would limit legislators to three four-year terms.

Pittman told the Decatur Daily he believes the bill would compel lawmakers to get things done, since they would no longer be able to keep coming back for decades. He also believes it would limit the influence of lobbyists, who would not have as much time to cozy up to legislators.

If the bill is passed by the legislature and approved by the voters in the form of a Constitutional Amendment, the new law wold affect lawmakers moving forward, but would not apply retroactively. But Pittman, who is now serving in his third term, says he would apply it to himself immediately and not seek another term.

“If the bill passes, I will retroactively apply it to myself,” he said. “If it doesn’t pass, I am not going to apply a bill to me that doesn’t apply to any other members.”

Opponents of term-limiting lawmakers say it could increase the power of lobbyist and unelected bureaucrats because they maintain their posts even as legislators come and go. They also contend that elected officials ignore the will of the people when they no longer face the threat of electoral wrath, the most recent example being Gov. Robert Bentley, who ran on a promise of “No New Taxes,” then went back on his word after winning re-election to a second term.

But proponents say the pros far outweigh the cons, and polls routinely show widespread public support for term limits. A Gallup survey from 2013 said 75 percent of American want term limits on members of congress, including 82 percent of Republicans.

Pittman’s bill cleared its first hurdle last week when it was given a favorable report by the Senate Committee on Constitution, Ethics and Elections. It still must pass the full senate, then make its way through the House and onto the governor’s desk. At that point a Constitutional Amendment would be placed on the ballot later this year for a vote of the people.