Will state lawmakers agree to limit their years in office? A proposed law will require them to give up long political careers and some of the power that goes with it. Statehouse observers are skeptical about the proposal’s chances. Three weeks ago, state senators held a hearing on General Assembly term limits. Republican candidates for governor Catherine Templeton, Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant and John Warren testified in favor of limits. The proposed law would limit lawmakers to 12 years – 3 terms for senators and 6 for House members. Templeton said 12 years is ideal because it: - Prevents politicians from getting too comfortable. - Allows long enough for them to develop “institutional knowledge.” Templeton said this was the “first time in 30 years that the legislature has allowed a hearing on term limits.” “The fox is guarding the henhouse,” she said. Although she favored the bill, Templeton asked lawmakers to go one step further. She said they need to ask voters for a constitutional change to make it harder for future lawmakers to reverse the law. Templeton said many candidates seek office with good intentions. But once they are entrenched, they are subjected to influence and temptations. “People get into this and they don’t want to get out. “Once their time is over,” she said of term-limited politicians, “they need to head back into the community they created laws for.” Templeton said term limits would be her “number one priority” as governor. Real reform won’t happen before such a change occurs, she said.