Michigan voters will have the chance to revisit the matter of term limits this November after 30 years of a system that failed to deliver on its promised benefits. This is the first tangible step to fixing a serious problem.

Each chamber of the Legislature on Tuesday widely approved putting the measure on the ballot, securing the necessary two-thirds majorities. Voters will decide whether to modify the length of time lawmakers can spend in the House and Senate, in addition to adding transparency requirements.

It’s somewhat concerning this moved through the Legislature so quickly, just one day after a coalition of groups that had backed the original ballot proposal asked it to do so. There was no debate over the constitutional amendment, which seems at odds with the effort to boost transparency.

But that doesn’t change the wisdom of getting term limits right.

The proposal committee, Voters for Transparency and Term Limits, started out earlier this year gathering signatures, but reaching the required 425,059 signatures by July 11 was a heavy lift and it turned to lawmakers instead.

The effort has achieved bipartisan support, with the backing of Democratic Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and former Republican House Speaker Jase Bolger.

The proposal would allow lawmakers to spend a total of 12 years in one chamber. So while the overall years of service would be less than currently allowed, lawmakers could gain additional experience and knowledge in either the House or Senate, rather than splitting their time between the two chambers as they are encouraged to now.

It would also add needed financial disclosure requirements for a range of state-level officeholders to help prevent conflicts of interest among elected officials. Only Michigan and Idaho don’t require this in some form.

In 1992, voters approved a constitutional amendment that applied strict term limits to the House and Senate, in addition to other top elected officials. Lawmakers could serve a total of three two-year terms in the House and two four-year terms in the Senate.

That has created a system where lawmakers are landing leadership positions long before they have the know-how to execute those roles effectively. And the revolving door of elected officials has allowed lobbyists to achieve much more influence.

As Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, observed in a statement: “By enabling lawmakers to serve out all their time in one chamber, even if for an overall shorter period of 12 years instead of the current 14, individuals would be free to focus on issues that are important to the communities they represent rather than on their next career move.”

Some transparency advocates are criticizing the Legislature for changing the language around financial disclosure. Lawmakers removed a provision that would have mirrored disclosure requirements for members of Congress, and they also altered a proposed requirement to more broadly report travel payments and reimbursements. Instead, they will only have to report such expenses that already have to be reported by lobbyists.

The original language was better, but these changes would still put Michigan on a path toward a more open government.

Michigan’s strict term limits are a failed experiment, and voters finally have a chance to improve the system.

— Detroit News