Term limits on tap — again

Utah citizens are in for another public fight over term limits. Tuesday morning, a pro-term-limit group formally filed a citizen initiative petition to get the matter on the 2004 ballot.

Utah Term Limits, the group that helped former U.S. Rep. Merrill Cook get term limits on the general-election ballot in 1994, filed the petition with the State Elections Office. UTL chairman Bart Grant said the initiative is necessary because the Legislature is attempting to repeal Utah's term limits law.

SB240, which has passed the Senate, is expected to pass the House.

"The citizens of Utah believe in term limits, that's been apparent over many years," said Bart Grant, UTL chairman. "I'm tired of playing this game with them. The citizens of the state need citizen legislators."

Utah Term Limits' petition is clearly giving members of the 2003 Legislature a challenge: You can keep the current 12-year term limit law, or if you repeal it, you could end up with an 8-year term limit law.

Not only does the petition have a shorter term limit, it also says an officeholder's name cannot appear on the ballot at the end of his eight years in office until 15 years have passed since his first election. That means a politician must stay out of office for another seven years after the 8-year term is up.

Under the current term-limit law, an officeholder must sit out one term before being re-elected.

The Utah Term Limits' petition also would limit a governor, attorney general, auditor and treasurer to eight years in office. If such a term limit law had been in place before, Gov. Mike Leavitt could not have run for a third term; State Treasurer Ed Alter, in office since the early 1980s, would have been forced out long ago.

SB240 sponsor Curtis Bramble, R-Provo, said he was not surprised by the petition.

"I'm sure they are trying to manipulate the political process," said Bramble. "I believe (term limits) are unconstitutional. There is no (Utah) Constitutional support for term limits."

But the United States Supreme Court has said term limits are not unconstitutional for state and local elected offices. Only federal lawmakers are exempt from term limit laws.

A new law that will change the way the initiative process works could throw a wrench in Utah Term Limits' plans. SB28, which cleared the Senate weeks ago and passed the House on Monday, sets new standards for getting an initiative on the ballot.