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 A new amendment to the Illinois Constitution would mean more
turnover in the top rungs of state government.
On Jan. 25, state Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, filed a proposed
constitutional amendment that would set term limits for each of Springfield’s
four leadership roles: House speaker, Senate president and the minority leaders
of both chambers.
Under the proposal, House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 12,
lawmakers could serve no more than eight years in a leadership role, and no more
than 12 years combined between the four offices.
“It is no secret that status quo in Illinois government has failed our state,”
Butler said in a statement. “Just as gerrymandering has harmed the right of
Illinoisans to be fairly represented, so too has the ability of one person to
lead a legislative body in perpetuity.
Illinois is one of only 14 states without some form of term limits for state
lawmakers and the following executive branch offices: governor, lieutenant
governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, auditor general and
comptroller.
For perspective, Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan just entered his 18th term,
having held the speaker gavel for 34 of the past 36 years.
Perhaps for that reason, term limits enjoy overwhelming popularity among
Illinois voters. Polling in 2018 from the Paul Simon Institute of Public Policy
showed 8 in 10 Illinoisans favor placing term limits on their elected leaders.
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The barrier for voters is that the task of enacting term limits is
left in the hands of those who’d be subject to them. Many Illinois
officeholders are not eager to voluntarily limit their own power.
For a term limits proposal to reach the appropriate substantive
committee, and then reach the House floor for a vote, it must first
pass the Rules Committee, over which the House speaker holds
considerable sway. Sure enough, such resolutions have repeatedly
been left to die in Rules.
What’s worse, Springfield leadership’s control over redistricting
has all but ensured the legislative map is drawn in their favor.
Illinois’ prolonged incumbencies have resulted in a punishing tax
burden, unsustainable pension debt and a credit rating ranked worst
in the nation. State lawmakers on both sides of the aisle should
follow Butler’s lead, and bring accountability to Springfield by
enacting reasonable limits on political office in state government.
To take action, sign the Illinois Policy Institute’s petition to
support placing term limits on Illinois’ highest-ranking state
lawmakers.
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