In a special virtual session held at the request of the Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) Board of Directors, county Farm Bureau members voted to support a proposal to amend the state’s constitution by transitioning from legislative term limits of 6 years in the House and 8 years in the Senate, to 12 years total – regardless of the chamber. This is in addition to new financial disclosure requirements for state elected officials. The proposal will appear before Michigan voters on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.
Comprised of delegates to the 2021 MFB State Annual Meeting, in accordance with the organization’s bylaws, the group reviewed the organization’s elections policy before overwhelmingly passing the measure to support the ballot proposal resulting from House Joint Resolution R, approved by the Legislature in May.
The special session was led by MFB President Carl Bednarski and Vice President Mike DeRuiter.
DeRuiter reviewed the ballot proposal with delegates.
“The state constitution currently provides that a person cannot be elected more than three times as a state representative and cannot be elected more than two times as a state senator,” he explained to the more than 160 participating county Farm Bureau members.
“The joint resolution would instead provide that a person cannot be elected for terms or partial terms that add up to more than 12 years, regardless of whether served in the House, Senate, or both.”
He went on to review the financial disclosure component saying the initiative would require the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and each member of the legislature to electronically file a more robust annual financial disclosure report with the Department of State.
Farm Bureau Policy and Term Limits
“Farm Bureau policy has for years expressed concerns with the current term limit structure and that it hampers an elected official’s ability to amass enough experience to become an effective chamber leader or committee chair in the Legislature,” said Matt Kapp, MFB’s election specialist. “This ballot proposal isn’t perfect, but I believe it’s successful at meeting voters in the middle."
He said that most Michigan voters still want to see some form of term limits.
“This proposal retains term limits while also enabling representatives and senators to gain more experience and provide them the flexibility to stay in the House or Senate if for one reason or another they want to continue running in a certain district.”
He ended with a reminder that the Board of State Canvassers still needs to approve the language voters will read on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.
Stay Engaged
President Bednarski closed out the delegate session emphasizing the importance of member involvement.
“Please stay engaged in the important races we have this election cycle,” he said. “Also, we are looking at a farm bill coming up — we would like your input on that — and we look forward to seeing all of you at your county annual meetings.”
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