03/29/1993 01:00 PM House JUD

  HJR 3:  LIMITING TERMS OF LEGISLATORS                                        
                                                                               
  MS. HORETSKI called the members' attention to a draft                        
  committee substitute (CSHJR 3 (JUD)), dated March 24, 1993.                  
  She reminded the committee that they had suggested referring                 
  to calendar years, instead of terms, to avoid ambiguity.                     
  She said that that change had been incorporated into CSHJR 3                 
  (JUD).                                                                       
                                                                               
  MS. HORETSKI noted another change included in CSHJR 3 (JUD),                 
  on page 1, line 12.  The new version of the resolution                       
  stated that "no person may serve consecutively more than                     
  fourteen full calendar years".  An earlier version of the                    
  resolution provided that no person could serve consecutively                 
  "more than eleven full or partial calendar years", she said.                 
                                                                               
  Number 426                                                                   
                                                                               
  CHAIRMAN PORTER commented that CSHJR 3 (JUD).                                
                                                                               
  Number 431                                                                   
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE DAVIDSON said that it might be a compromise,                  
  but he still found it to be bad public policy.  He predicted                 
  that the resolution would spawn litigation, and asked why                    
  the legislature desired to limit the public's choice.  He                    
  stated that the resolution went overboard in attempting to                   
  fix a problem which did not exist.  He noted that this year,                 
  there were 18 new House members.  He said that there would                   
  be a negative effect on the legislature if there was an even                 
  higher concentration of new legislators after the next                       
  election.  He recommended that the committee not move the                    
  resolution out.                                                              
                                                                               
  Number 458                                                                   
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE JAMES commented that term limits already                      
  existed, at the voting booth.  However, she said that most                   
  of her constituents felt that term limits were needed.  She                  
  expressed an opinion that the legislature would benefit from                 
  a high concentration of new members every two years.                         
                                                                               
  Number 472                                                                   
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE DAVIDSON replied that he had not intended to                  
  slight the freshmen legislators.  He noted that thoroughly                   
  learning the legislative process took a great deal of time.                  
  He added that institutional memory helped new legislators to                 
  learn.                                                                       
                                                                               
  Number 484                                                                   
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE PHILLIPS noted that a constitutional revision                 
  task force might be formed to work during the interim.  She                  
  said that it might be appropriate to refer HJR 3 to that                     
  task force for study.                                                        
                                                                               
  Number 500                                                                   
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE NORDLUND made a MOTION to ADOPT CSHJR 3                       
  (JUD), dated March 24, 1993.  There being no objection, IT                   
  WAS ADOPTED.                                                                 
                                                                               
  Number 504                                                                   
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE NORDLUND made a MOTION to PASS CSHJR 3 (JUD),                 
  dated March 24, 1993, out of committee with individual                       
  recommendations and attached fiscal note.                                    
                                                                               
  Number 510                                                                   
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE DAVIDSON asked if this meant that there would                 
  never be the opportunity to hold a bill in the House                         
  Judiciary Committee for further study.                                       
                                                                               
  Number 519                                                                   
                                                                               
  CHAIRMAN PORTER replied in the negative.  He noted that                      
  there had been a great deal of discussion over the years,                    
  both within the legislature and outside of it, on the issue                  
  of term limits.                                                              
                                                                               
  Number 522                                                                   
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE JAMES said that, realistically, if the                        
  committee was having such a difficult time moving the                        
  resolution out, how could the resolution win a 2/3 vote on                   
  the House floor.                                                             
                                                                               
  Number 528                                                                   
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE NORDLUND commented that the best place to                     
  vote on the resolution was on the House floor.  There being                  
  no objection to moving CSHJR 3 (JUD) out of committee, IT                    
  WAS SO ORDERED.                                                              
                                                                               
  CHAIRMAN PORTER announced that the committee would take up                   
  HB 61 next.