Lianne Zeltinger

Minot

Article XV (15) of our State Constitution relating to term limits was passed into law with the vote of 63% or a super majority of the voters in November 2022.

On February 20, 2023, nine members from the House and three members from the Senate co-sponsored HCR 30319 which was an attempt to overturn or “correct” term limits. It passed the House but failed in the Senate.

Now in 2025 two Resolutions were introduced within a day or so of the deadline for bringing forth resolutions from the House and Senate. The first reading for the SCR 4028 was on 2/24/2025. It was heard in the Senate committee on 3/13/2025 where it received a 6/0 Do NOT PASS recommendation.

The first reading for the HCR 3034 was on 2/25/2025. It was heard in the House committee on 3/14/2025. It, too, received a 14/0 DO NOT PASS. Those resolutions would change the number of years a legislator may serve to 12 years and then after a four-year break, they would be able to serve another 12 years. SCR 4028 includes making the term limits retroactive to 2018 so everyone currently seated would get to serve their “full” time. Both resolutions also include limiting the terms of the nine elected state officials to 12 years, believing that we simply forgot to include them in 2022. I have never heard anyone say they want to limit those terms.

Many of our current legislators have served 24 years to 39 years. North Dakota’s legislature is a citizen’s legislature which is defined as the members having full time employment outside of the legislature. Let’s hope that the full House and Senate members honor the wishes and desires of their fellow citizens and defeat these measures.

Maybe they need a gentle reminder. Term limits would never have become such an issue if they had passed real property tax reduction or reform from any of the 17 to 20 bills that have come before them since 2012.