House Joint Resolution 31 proposes a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on members of the West Virginia Legislature. Under the amendment, a person could serve no more than two consecutive terms in the State Senate or four consecutive terms in the House of Delegates. The resolution also directs that the proposed amendment be submitted to voters at the next general election in 2026 and assigns it a ballot designation and short purpose statement.
The measure specifies that only terms beginning after ratification would count toward the new limits, while terms served before ratification would not be counted. It also provides that a partial term served after ratification would count as a term for purposes of the limit. In practical effect, the proposal would amend the state constitution and change eligibility rules for future legislative service, but it would not immediately remove current members from office.
Impact
If adopted by voters, the resolution would amend Article VI of the West Virginia Constitution to create enforceable term limits for state senators and delegates. It would affect eligibility for future candidates and incumbents by limiting consecutive service in the Senate to two terms and in the House to four terms, with a grandfathering rule for service completed before ratification. The proposal would also require election officials to place the amendment before voters and administer the new ballot question and designation.
Sentiment
The available context suggests the bill is framed as a reform measure aimed at limiting long-term legislative incumbency, and the caption indicates a straightforward policy goal of setting term limits for the West Virginia Legislature. However, there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, so there is no direct evidence of support, opposition, or debate in the available materials. Based on the text alone, the proposal appears to be presented in a neutral, procedural manner as a constitutional amendment for voter consideration.
Contention
The main point of contention likely concerns whether term limits improve legislative turnover and accountability or instead reduce institutional experience and voter choice. Supporters would generally favor the measure as a check on entrenched incumbency, while opponents may argue that consecutive-term limits can weaken expertise, shift power to unelected staff or lobbyists, and interfere with the electorate’s ability to reelect preferred representatives. Because no discussion transcript is available, no specific lawmakers or stakeholder groups are identified as taking those positions in the record provided.