Term limits a likely factor this session

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- For nearly half of the members of the Missouri General Assembly, the 2002 legislative session will be their last because of term limits.

Everyone agrees term limits, approved by Missouri voters in 1992 but taking full effect for this year's elections, will have a dramatic impact on the legislative process. Exactly what that impact will be on the session, which starts today, remains unclear.

Will legislative short-timers work doubly hard to solidify their legacies? Lacking any political risk, will they push for legislation they always wanted that previously would have cost them at the ballot box? Will they just lose interest and tune out?

The result probably will be a combination of all three.

State Rep. Mark Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, hopes the comradeship and cooperation built among longtime lawmakers will keep the Legislature on track, though he is certain the influence of limits will be felt.

"There are always a very small percentage of people not actively engaged in the legislative process," Richardson said. "But I don't see there being a pervasive short-timer attitude."

Richardson is one of five Southeast Missouri lawmakers serving his last year in the House of Representatives. The others are fellow Republicans David Schwab of Jackson and Pat Naeger of Perryville and Democrats Wayne Crump of Potosi and Don Koller of Summersville. State Sen. Danny Staples, D-Eminence, is the only area senator hit by term limits this year.

Term limits will have the biggest immediate effect in the House, where 75 of 163 members are ineligible for re-election. Because senators serve staggered, four-year terms, only 12 members will be term-limited this year in the 34-member chamber. Another 11 will be forced out in 2004.

Legislative service is capped at eight years in each chamber.

Based on the experiences of other states that implemented term limits, House Speaker Jim Kreider, D-Nixa, said keeping his colleagues engaged is a concern. Kreider, who is among the impending casualties of term limits, said former House speakers in Arkansas and Oklahoma reported bad attitudes among term-limited members.

"I have talked to many other states, and it's never pleasant, that initial cleaning out," Kreider said. "We're trying to make sure the attitudes are good and appeal to everyone's sense of duty. I think in the end we will get through it, but it will be tough."

One factor that could affect House relations is the large number of representatives running for the Senate. As of Tuesday, 34 representatives had established campaigns for the 17 Senate seats on the ballot this year. That means several House members will be pitted against colleagues in both the party primary and general elections.

Kreider said he will appeal to Senate hopefuls' "sense of civility and respect for each other" and urge them to keep campaign issues from interfering with chamber business.

mpowers@semissourian.com

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