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Answer from: U.S. Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-OH)

Well, term limits was part of the ‘Contract With America’, we had a vote on the floor that would have made federal term limits to 12 years, 6 terms, because there was a court case out in California that indicated that the state referendums like in Ohio were unconstitutional. It failed and as a result we don’t have federal term limits. And now that I’ve been here for a little bit I see that my opinion, two opinions, I think term limits has ruined the state legislature in Ohio and given us a lot of bad government. And B- when you have members that have been here 30-40 years and you say well, okay, I’m going to be here 12, you put your district at competitive disadvantage because this place runs on seniority, the longer you’ve been here -and in terms of committee assignments- the more you can get done for your district and I can do probably 100 times more than I could in 1994. Maybe it shouldn’t be that way, but as long as, what you don’t want to do is unilaterally disarm. And I mean if we all term limits, that’s why I supported it, that’s why I voted for it- but for somebody in Ohio to say ‘well, I’m going to leave’, then the guys in Michigan are just going to take it all up.

Answered on Jul 28th, 2008