Term limits group won't oppose ballot measure

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The group that successfully pushed for legislative term limits 10 years ago won't oppose a measure on this November's ballot to alter the limits.

The Missouri Term Limits organization said Monday that this year's proposed changes are technical and simply would align Missouri's legislative term limits with those already in place for governor and president.

Under a constitutional amendment adopted in 1992 by voters, Missouri lawmakers are limited to eight years each in the House and Senate.

The effect of Amendment 3 on the November ballot would be to let some people serve nine years in the House and 10 years in the Senate.

The extension would apply to people who serve partial terms after being elected to fill a House or Senate vacancy.

Partial terms currently are counted against the limit. For example, a senator who has served five years (one full term and one partial) currently cannot seek re-election to another full four-year term because it would exceed the eight-year limit.

Under the proposed change, partial terms of less than half the length of a full term would not be counted against the limit. That means senators who have served less than six years could seek another four-year term and House members who have served less than seven years could seek another two-year term.

The measure was referred to the ballot by legislators, many of whom are facing the effect of term limits for the first time this year.

The Missouri Term Limits group had opposed efforts by some lawmakers to extend term limits to 12 years or repeal them altogether. The proposed change on the November ballot is more of a clarification than an extension, said Greg Upchurch, a St. Louis attorney and leader of the group.

"We're not against it, and we're not for it," Upchurch said.

"I don't think it will make any practical difference. It answers an unanswered question."

Upchurch said the group did not address partial terms in the 1992 measure for fear it would complicate the ballot language and hurt its chances for passage.

"We wanted to keep it as short as possible to keep down the misinformation," he said.

In 1992, voters approved the original term limits measure by about 75 percent of the vote.