Bills in the News
In this occasional post, we feature topics receiving widespread media coverage, tips for finding bills filed during the 83rd legislative session, and related resources.
Bills in the News: Term Limits
Statewide elected officials in Texas currently are not subject to term limits, nor are state legislators. A handful of bills have been introduced in the 83rd Legislature that would impose term limits on some state offices.
Bill search
To find proposed legislation and proposed constitutional amendments filed during the 83rd Legislature about term limits, use "TERM LIMITS (S0105)." Related subject searches that may be of interest are "Elections--Candidates (I0280)" and "State Officers (I0761)."
Resources
Recent news articles have tracked proposed legislation that would institute term limits.
- "Talk of Term Limits is Back, with Tea Party Support," Texas Tribune, December 17, 2012.
- "No limits: In Texas, officials can stay as long as voters will have them," KXAN.com, February 7, 2013.
- "Conservatives Revive Proposals for Term Limits," New York Times, March 7, 2013.
- "Term Limits for Some," Texas Monthly, March 19, 2013.
Terms of office for the Governor, state Senators, and state Representatives can be found in the Texas Constitution.
The Secretary of State provides a current list of statewide elected officials and when their terms expire.
The National Conference of State Legislatures [NCSL] has created a state-by-state chart of term limits for legislators. NCSL also tracks filed state legislation on term limits.
The Council of State Governments' Book of the States 2012 provides a state-by-state table of constitutional and statutory provisions related to executive terms of office and term limits.
