OPINION: The case for legislative term limits in S.C.

Each year about this time, I use the return of the General Assembly as an opportunity to call for legislative term limits. It's usually in the form of a newspaper editorial, and the feedback I receive is always quite positive, with the people I talk to overwhelmingly favoring restrictions on how long politicians can hold on to an office. That aligns with decades of polling, which has consistently found that a large majority of Americans support term-limiting state and federal lawmakers.

Unfortunately, such a change can't happen without the consent of those who would be term-limited. And while there are exceptions, legislators are generally loath to put any issue ahead of their own self-preservation.

That's a shame. A sensible term limit law -- perhaps three or four terms for House members and two terms for Senators -- would do more than anything else to improve the quality of state government and move South Carolina forward.

Term limits would ensure healthy turnover -- a constant infusion of new ideas and fresh perspectives into the system. It would help curb the influence of money in politics and increase accountability; lawmakers who aren't seeking re-election indefinitely tend to be much less beholden to campaign donors, lobbyists and special interests... and more likely to put their communities' needs first.

Importantly, term limits would help pave the way for needed reforms.

And ours is a state that cries out for reform. Our ethics laws remain inexcusably weak, with House and Senate members exempting themselves from the independent oversight they require of all other politicians. Our state's books have been off by billions -- and while legislators point fingers, it's the Legislature that put in place the current oversight-deficient system. Not only do lawmakers still elect judges, which undermines judicial independence, but we still allow lawyer-legislators to screen judicial candidates.

Yet our Legislature is notoriously resistant to change.

By preventing career politicians and ending their stranglehold on the lawmaking process -- generally, it's the Legislature's long-serving members who tend to create obstacles to change -- term limits would help bring about the reforms needed to make government work better for ordinary taxpayers. It's not a magic bullet, but the pros far outweigh the cons. Legislative term limits would help make state government cleaner, more accountable and more responsive to the needs of average taxpayers.

Enacting such a law would require amending the state Constitution, which means it would need voter approval. But it's far from implausible. Sixteen states now have term-limit laws, and all passed with broad, bipartisan support. And the idea appears to have gained at least some momentum in South Carolina in recent years.

Last month, a group of reform-minded state legislators once again introduced legislation -- House Bill 3745 -- to term-limit state House and Senate members. Lawmakers who profess to represent their constituents' wishes should match their words with deed, and citizens who support term limits should call their representatives and make their voices heard. They can only turn a deaf ear to taxpayer sentiment as long as we let them.

Todd Limehouse is a Lexington resident and longtime Republican volunteer.