Idaho speaker recognized for term limits efforts.

• Position: Brief Article

The nation's leading state legislative organizations bestowed their highest honor, the William M. Bulger Excellence in Leadership Award, on Idaho Speaker Bruce Newcomb for his 14 years in leadership and for his role in overturning Idaho's restrictive term limits laws.

Each year, NCSL, the State Legislative leaders Foundation and the Council of State Governments honors a legislative leader who exhibits a commitment to protect and strengthen the institution of the state legislature. The winner is selected by a committee representing each of these organizations, as well as journalists, former legislators and scholars.

Gem State voters in 1994 enacted some of the country's most restrictive term limits on state lawmakers--limiting an individual's service in the Legislature to only eight years. Speaker Newcomb recognized that this initiative not only denied the citizens of Idaho their democratic rights to elect their preferred candidates to office, but also severely...