STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1547

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 10

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Government Operations, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 10 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU TO CONDUCT A STUDY OF POTENTIAL POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF IMPLEMENTING TERM LIMITS FOR MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Legislative Reference Bureau to conduct a study of potential positive and negative consequences of implementing term limits for members of the Legislature.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Your Committee finds that fifteen states have imposed term limits on state legislators, thirty-six have imposed term limits on their governors, thirty-three states have imposed term limits on their members in the United States Congress and that, in contrast, the legislators of Idaho and Utah have repealed term limits on state legislators. Your Committee further finds that it is unclear whether or not term limits are beneficial or detrimental to the practice of democratic governance in the State. Therefore, this measure requests the Legislative Reference Bureau to conduct a study of potential positive and negative consequences of implementing term limits for members of the Legislature.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Adding findings to acknowledge that a massive and in-depth national study known as a Joint Project on Term Limits was conducted in 2004 as a cooperative effort by the National Conference of State Legislatures, Council of State Governments, State Legislative Leaders Foundation, and a number of legislative scholars to assess the effects of term limits;

(2) Removing the Legislative Reference Bureau and replacing it with the National Conference of State Legislatures and Council of State Governments to not conduct, but instead to update the findings from the 2004 Joint Project on Term Limits;

(3) Amending its title in accordance to its amended purpose;

(4) Amending the list of certified copy recipients; and

(5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 10, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 10, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Government Operations,

________________________________

ANGUS L.K. MCKELVEY, Chair