Rep. Dave Ure, R-Kamas (1992), who twice has barely lost speakership races, is running for the Senate.

Since the old law applied only to current offices, the many Utah House members who stepped out of the lower body only to win or be appointed to a Senate seat would have gotten 12 more years in the upper body before being forced out by term limits. Twelve of the 29 current senators used to be in the House.

In the Senate this year, the old law would have forced out Sens. Ed Mayne, D-West Valley (1994); and Howard Stephenson, R-Draper (1992). Former Senate president Al Mansell, R-Sandy (1994), also would have been forced out, but Mansell is retiring this year.

So, for all of the terrible things that a 12-year term-limit law would have done (according to sitting legislators who voted to repeal it), in reality it would have had little effect on the overall makeup of the Utah House and Senate — although it would have had an impact on GOP House leadership, forcing out two of its most powerful people.

Anti-term limit advocates have a mantra: Term limits are a bad idea; the Legislature as an institution can't afford to lose some of the "old hands" who know the history and stumbling blocks of governing.

Yet former Gov. Mike Leavitt — who was elected to 12 years in office — had no state government experience when he won the top executive job in 1992.

Likewise, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. had no state government experience when he was elected in 2004.

Outside of any term limits, the 29-member state Senate has seen significant turnover in the past decade. Only six senators today were serving in 1996 — an 80 percent turnover rate — although a number of incoming senators had been in the House. In the 75-member House, only 17 representatives there in 1996 are still around — a 77 percent turnover rate.

Bottom line: Only a few legislators stick around for a long time — and with a 90 percent re-election rate all are pretty much immune from any unhappy constituents.

When you go to vote this year, you may want to consider how long your legislator has served and whether that is a good thing for you.

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Deseret Morning News political editor Bob Bernick Jr. may be reached by e-mail at bbjr@desnews.com