Rep. Harry Warren proposes bill to limit leadership terms in NC General Assembly

Published 7:26 pm Wednesday, June 14, 2017

By Christina Sandidge

Associated Press

RALEIGH — Legislation sponsored by Rowan County Rep. Harry Warren moving through the state House would let North Carolina voters decide whether to limit the leadership terms of the General Assembly’s two most powerful members.

The bill advanced Wednesday by a House judiciary committee would put a constitutional amendment on the November 2018 ballot that asks voters whether the House speaker and Senate president pro tempore should be restricted to four consecutive two-year terms.

Currently, there are no term limitations for officers elected by the legislature.

Warren says the bill’s purpose is to work against the possibility of entrenchment in leadership roles.

Warren says previous proposals seeking to limit leadership terms have failed.

The latest bill is headed to the House Rules Committee for consideration.