Term Limits in Michigan State - Research Proposal Example

 In this research, we pay attention to the objective of the study in regards to term limit within the Michigan State, the statement problem, the background of the study and questions and limitations within the research work. The work of this research is to analyze and compare various bills passed before and after the term limit as well as office rotation in reference to the Michigan State Senate. Background information The term limit is an important aspect applied and instituted within the government offices to ensure that rotation exercises are in force to all government officials holding these offices. It is well established that ancient Athens consisted 500 councils who rotated the whole membership on an annual basis as well as the Ephorate in antique Sparta also followed term limit policy within the states rotation process. In regards to various scholars and historians like Garrett Fagan suggested that term limits was an exercised that was in force to ensure that corruption aspect never existed in deed. The run of office termed the curcus honorum also promises to retrieve experienced politicians towards the high echelons holding power in the antique republic. The arguments of the ancient times prompted the need to attain education, and at the same time gain from the object lessons facilitated by the democracy of the ancient times. Most United States researchers underwent education in the classics; hence, appears familiar with the rotation of offices in the olden times. From their general views, they found that terms limit served the state as a strategy to prevent the American from the danger experienced when an individual serves in the government for long periods (Lewis n.d). During the term limit especially in the year 1738, various state levels carried out rotation experiments to establish its consequences within the governance procedural. The Pennsylvanian constitution operational during the year 1776, devised maximum service in the general assembly of the Pennsylvanian general assembly during four years in seven. During the year 1789, in October continental congress facilitated the committee comprising of thirteen committee members to examine the forms of government devised for the future union of states. The purpose of the research is to compare the number of bills offered and passed before and after the term limit went into effect within the Michigan States. However, this objective includes, to determine the effect of the bills passed before the term of limit became effective in Michigan State and assessed the effects of the bills passed after the term of limit became effective in Michigan State (Corliss 56). From the point of view, the term limit affects the time candidates are elected at the senate and house of the representative levels. The decision tries to protect the needs of the nations. However, the study seeks to compare the number of bills offered and passed before and after the term limit became effective in Michigan giving it an aspect of statement problem. In Michigan State Senate, the Senate conducts elections concurrently with the election of governors. Literature Review The chapter captures the literature relating to the comparison of the number of bills passed before and after the term limit went into effect in Michigan State Senate. Also, the section will describe the effects of the term limit bills in Michigan State Senate. The bills passed before the term of limit took effect in Michigan State Senate In November 1992, the Michigan state senate amended the constitution of the state that limits the number of years a person can serve in the office. The legislature of Michigan State Senate comes into play as the legislative assembly affiliated to the united state of Michigan. The legislature organization resembles the bicameral body comprising of the Senate, the upper house, the lower house, and the house of the representatives. Article IV came into existence in the year 1963. Article IV states the obligations of the legislature and the method of delivery within a specified period (Tothero n.d). Article IV demands the House of Representatives to hold elections fortnightly after two years. On the other hand, the Senate holds elections within a four-year terminal, alongside with the governor elections. In order to facilitate calculations of the exact time for the legislature operations, every two-year time corresponding with the election of the current members of the house of the representatives comes in play as consecutively numbered as a legislature. The dating requires reference to the original legislature in subsequent to Michigan’s assimilation as a state. The operational two-year legislation term involves the terms that came into existence on January 1, the year 2013 through to December 31 2013comes in lay as the 97th legislature. Also, Article IV requires the legislature to schedule meeting annually for the constitution of a new session. The meeting comes in play because of Article IV section 13 of the constitution. The Article terms the new sessions of legislative as the period when; the meetings attended by the members of every house, in the afternoon of every, second Wednesday in January. Regular legislation sessions take place through the whole year coupled with sessions of the recess and adjourn sine die in the late periods of December. The sessions of the legislature operate without fixed minimum or maximum meeting periods annually. Despite the unavailability of the conditions required for a full-time legislature, Michigan legislature remains one of the legislature bodies operating on a fulltime basis in the United States. Members who operate in the Michigan legislature attract a basic salary calculated annually as $ 71,685 (Framer and Green 78-81). The salary shows that the legislatures remain the fourth best-paid legislatures in the country, in relation to California, Pennsylvania, and New York. Michigan legislators receive $10,800annually to cater for their sessions and interim expenses while the legislators of several states remain entitled to daily per diems constitution to their significantly low salaries. The legislation that appears pending after any session except for the period that marks the end of the term office of the legislative carries forward to the following legislative session (Tothero n.d). The bills passed after the term limits took effects in Michigan State The voters in the Michigan state amended section 54 of article IV constitution of the year 1992. The constitution became operational in the year 1993. The amended constitution limits the time, hence, permitting any individual to serve in the legislature as a member. The amended constitutions clearly state that the maximum times of a member to stand as elect in the Senate remains two, or three for the post of the House of the representatives (Kurtz, Bruce and Richard 89-94). The situation results in the significantly high turnover experienced in the membership of the two houses of the Legislature. The period prior to amendments, most seat holders served in the same office for as long as decades. Various members of the house have constantly attempted to appeal to the amendments relating to the term limit. Despite the efforts undertaken by such members, the house still requires significant deliberations concerning the deliberation. The concept of rotation of office appeared predominant in the 19th century. The concept that; ideas remain in truth force, and the term limits took advantage of the normative support, with specific reference to the local group, whereby the political reality experienced alterations. He details if the study related to the 19th-century concept rotation require the leaders to consult political science on a quarterly basis. Volume 94 of the Michigan state constitution discusses house turnover and the basics principle of rotation in order to avoid usurpation of power (Kemp and Carl 69-72). Bills that were introduced after term limits came into effect viewed public office as a career and not as service. This is because the benefits and salaries envision that legislators would bestow themselves to work for the people in a short period. This, in turn, made politicians get out of touch with the governed or the ruled because of their special interests in the office. Also, term limits came into effect to ensure that turnover will freshen and make politics lively by giving citizens an opportunity to serve in public offices and give new concepts and ideologies opportunities to participate in policy often. The term limit bill has opened ways for new leaders since the incumbent is hardly reelected into office unless he or she performs and meets the demands of the people. Further, the incumbent can no longer rob elections of dedicated and serious competition as compared when the term limits were not in place. Term limit bills have given rise to a new code of ethics for the politicians. The code of ethics was founded on the concepts that relate turn about to fair play. Concisely, the spoils system became integrated with the rotation nominations (Carey, 251). It is also significant to note that after the term limits came into effect in Michigan state, collegiality among senators and other legislators has been weakened in the sense that the faith and give-and-take that emerge from interaction of some period which is a significant part in drafting of policies or laws for the best interest of the Michigan state. Leadership has been weakened to some extent because such leaders are elected to positions of speaker or Senate majority, which makes it difficult to form majorities on significant matters as they maintain political decorum (Kurtz, Bruce and Richard 100-102). The introduction of term limits in Michigan State has brought about large turnover in the Senate, which has resulted in swings in ideological and partisan control. The turnover has undermined stability in public laws, which has resulted in major mistakes in writing the laws of the State, the reward of passion over reason and decreased productivity. Conclusion Summarily, term limit bills in Michigan State Senate were introduced in 1992 where legislators were required to be elected to office for a short period in order to avoid usurpation of power and incumbency. After the term limit, bills were introduced; politicians have got in touch with the governed or the ruled because of their special interests in the office. Although, after the term limits bills were introduced, it has opened ways for new leaders since the incumbent is hardly re-elected into office unless he or she performs and meets the demands of the people. Bibliography Carey, John, Term Limits in the State Legislatures. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2000. Internet resource. (1-30) 250. Corliss, J B, Acts of the Legislature Passed at the Session of 1885, Relative to the City of Detroit. Detroit: Post & Tribune Job Co, 1885. Doron, Gideon, and Michael Harris. Term Limits. Lanham, Md: Lexington Books, 2001. Print. Farmer, Rick, John C. Green, and John D. Rausch. The Test of Time: Coping with Legislative Term Limits. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2003. Kemp, Roger L, and Carl J. Stephani, Cities Going Green: A Handbook of Best Practices. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co, 2011. Kurtz, Karl T, Bruce E. Cain, and Richard G. Niemi. Institutional Change in American Politics: The Case of Term Limits. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2007. Internet resource. 938-119). Lewis, Daniel C, Legislative Term Limits and Fiscal Policy Performance, Legislative Studies Quarterly 37.3 (2012): 305. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 16 Mar. 2013. Tothero, Rebecca A, The Impact Of Term Limits On State Legislators' Ambition For Local Office: The Case Of Michigan's House, Publius: The Journal Of Federalism 33.3 (2003): 111. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 16 Mar. 2013. Read More