An Act To Abolish Term Limits for Legislators
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 0935
Committee: Legal and Veterans Affairs
Sponsors: SUSLOVIC, GAGNON, BOWEN, CANAVAN, CLARK, LANDRY, MILLS, THOMPSON, MAYO
Amends: 3 MRSA §5, 21-A MRSA §553

Legislative Document 
No. 935 
H.P.692 
House of Representatives, February 25, 2003 
An Act To Abolish Term Limits for Legislators 
Reference to the Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative SUSLOVIC of Portland. 
Cosponsored by Senator GAGNON of Kennebec and 
111~/J1·~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: BOWEN of Rockport, CANAVAN of Waterville, CLARK of Millinocket, 
LANDRY of Sanford, MILLS of Cornville, THOMPSON of China, Senator: MAYO of 
Sagadahoc. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. I. 3 MRSA §5 is enacted to read: 
§s. 
Committee chair; term limitation 
A person 
may 
not 
serve 
as 
chair 
of 
a 
joint standing 
committee 
of 
the 
Legislature 
for 
more 
than 
consecutive 
legislative bienniums. 
Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §553, sub-§§l and 2, as enacted by IB 1993, 
c. 1, §1 and affected by §2, are repealed. 
Sec. 3. Statutory referendum procedure; submission at statewide 
election; form of question; effective date. 
This Act takes effect when 
approved only for the purpose of permitting its submission to the 
legal voters of the State at a statewide election held on the 
Tuesday following the first Monday of November following passage 
of this Act. 
The municipal officers of this State shall notify 
the inhabitants of their respective cities, towns and plantations 
to meet, in the manner prescribed by law for holding a statewide 
election, to vote on the acceptance or rejection of this Act by 
voting on the following question: 
"Do you favor repealing term limits for Maine Legislators 
and 
limiting 
committee 
chair 
terms 
for 
joint 
standing 
committees of the Legislature to 3 bienniums in the same way 
that terms are limited for legislative leadership?" 
The legal voters of each city, town and plantation shall 
vote by ballot on this question and designate their choice by a 
cross or check mark placed within a corresponding square below 
the word "Yes" or "No." 
The ballots must be received, sorted, 
counted and declared in open ward, town and plantation meetings 
and returns made to the Secretary of State in the same manner as 
votes for members of the Legislature. 
The Governor shall review 
the returns and, if it appears that a majority of the legal votes 
are cast in favor of the Act, the Governor shall proclaim that 
fact without delay, and the Act takes effect 30 days after the 
date of the proclamation. 
The Secretary of State shall prepare and furnish to each 
city, town and plantation all ballots, returns and copies of this 
Act necessary to carry out the purposes of this referendum. 
Page l-LR0413(I) 
SUMMARY 
Subject to approval by the voters at a referendum held in 
November 2003, this bill repeals term limits for Legislators and 
limits the terms of legislative committee chairs to 3 legislative 
bienniums, in the same way that terms are limited for legislative 
leadership.