An Act Proposing An Amendment To Article Ii And Article Iii Of The Delaware Constitution Relating To Term Limits.
Summary
SB222 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would establish term limits for certain Delaware state offices. For the General Assembly, it would prohibit a person from being elected a sixth time as a Senator or a ninth time as a Representative. For statewide executive offices, it would limit service in the offices of Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner, Auditor of Accounts, and State Treasurer to no more than two terms each, whether the person is appointed or elected to that office.
The bill is the first leg of a constitutional amendment, meaning it must pass now and then be approved again by the next General Assembly after the next general election before it can take effect. It also states that prior service completed before the amendment’s implementation date would not count toward the new term limits, and it would take effect immediately upon enactment of the second leg for each affected office. Because it amends the Delaware Constitution, it requires a two-thirds vote of each house of the General Assembly.
Impact
If enacted through both constitutional-amendment votes, SB222 would change the Delaware Constitution to add eligibility limits for legislators and certain statewide elected officials. It would affect Article II, governing legislative qualifications, and Article III, governing the terms of specified executive officers. The practical effect would be to bar long-serving officeholders from seeking additional terms once they reach the new limits, while preserving prior service from counting against them.
Sentiment
The available record shows sponsorship by a bipartisan group of legislators, suggesting some cross-party support for the concept of term limits. However, there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes in the provided material, so the broader level of support or opposition cannot be measured from this record alone. The bill’s framing as a constitutional amendment also indicates it was treated as a significant structural change rather than routine legislation.
Contention
The main point of contention is the policy choice to impose term limits on both legislators and statewide constitutional officers, which can be viewed as promoting turnover and limiting entrenched incumbency, but also as restricting voter choice and the ability to retain experienced officials. Another likely issue is the scope of the limits: the bill covers the Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner, Auditor of Accounts, and State Treasurer, in addition to members of the General Assembly. Because the measure is a constitutional amendment, it also faces a higher procedural hurdle requiring two-thirds approval in each chamber and a second passage by the next General Assembly.
An Act Proposing An Amendment To Article Ii And Article Iii Of The Delaware Constitution Relating To Limitations On Elected Officials Running For A Different Elected Position.
Proposes temporary constitutional amendment allowing State constitutional convention convened to reform system of property taxation to propose statutory changes.
Proposes temporary constitutional amendment allowing State constitutional convention convened to reform system of property taxation to propose statutory changes.
(Constitutional Amendment) Provides for the election of constitutional convention delegates and vote requirements necessary for the adoption of a new constitution (RR SEE FISC NOTE GF EX)
(Constitutional Amendment) Modifies disposition of certain state revenues through repeal of the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund and deposits of certain revenue streams into the Budget Stabilization Fund (RRF INCREASE GF RV See Note)
(Constitutional Amendment) Provides relative to the application of state monies to the unfunded accrued liability of the Teachers' Retirement System of La. (EN DECREASE SD RV See Note)
Proposing An Amendment To Article Xvii, Section 3 Of The Hawaii Constitution To Specify That The Standard For Voter Approval Of A Constitutional Amendment Proposed By The Legislature Is A Majority Of All The Votes Tallied Upon The Question.