LANSING – The Michigan Society of Association Executives said Wednesday some changes need to be enacted to term limits requirements that amount to an average of 33 percent turnover each election, affecting overall decision-making.

An outright end to the limits enacted 20 years ago is unlikely, officials with the organization said. But Michigan has some of the most restrictive term limits in the nation and states with more flexibility in their systems have encountered fewer problems in terms of legislative action.

The group also announced the release of a white paper that looked at the overall effect of Michigan’s term limit system. The MSAE said that Sen. Bruce Caswell (R0Hillsdale) and Rep. Bill Rogers (R-Brighton) were supposed to present the findings of the white paper to their respective chambers.

According to the white paper, Michigan’s term limits system has an impact in making elections more expensive. Term limits has also helped lead to fewer incumbents, on average, being defeated in election.

It is unclear if term limits has lead to less influence from lobbyists, the white paper said.

The paper also said term limits may have led to more influence by legislative staff who tend to have more experience and overall institutional knowledge.

Michigan’s term limits impose a total lifetime limit of three terms of House members and two terms on Senate members (as well as two terms on the governor, secretary of state and attorney general).

While it is unlikely terms limits would be repealed, the organization said changes such as extending the total number of years a legislator can serve from the current 14 could be enacted, or that changes in how many terms a lawmaker could serve in that time frame (for example to allow a House member to serve seven terms) could be adopted. The paper also said ending the lifetime limit could be enacted.

A number of proposals to enact some of those changes have been proposed in recent years, though none has succeeded to make it onto the ballot. Because term limits was a constitutional change enacted in 1992, any other changes to it would have to be adopted by the vote.

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