Term limits severe for unicameral.

• Position: Trends And Transitions - Brief Article

Nebraska legislators are considering altering or doing away with their voter-approved term limits law. Nebraska is one of 15 states with term limits for legislators, but because their legislature is unicameral, they face some of the most severe effects of term limits.

In other states, a member who is termed out of one chamber can run for the other, ensuring that a few experienced legislators can stick around for awhile. In Nebraska, though, no legislator will ever accumulate more than eight years of experience after the term limits law kicks in with the 2006 election.

So far, four separate proposals have been introduced in Nebraska. One would change the limits from two terms to three, and the other three would repeal term limits altogether. The three repeal proposals vary. One would repeal term limits in 2010, ensuring that all of the legislators who might vote...