Arizona Senators Approve Longer Terms For Themselves

On Monday, the Arizona Senate passed S.C.R. 1027, a bill that would increase the length of terms served by senators. Currently both representatives and senators serve two-year terms.

Sen. Steve Yabrough’s (R-Chandler) bill passed in a 19-11 vote.

Yarbrough’s bill limits to two the number of consecutive terms a senator can serve.

Yarbrough’s bill heads to the House where it will likely fail.

Fact Sheet – S.C.R. 1027

Article IV, part 2, section 21 of the Constitution of Arizona stipulates that terms for members of the Arizona State Senate and the Arizona State House of Representatives during the First Legislature last until the first Monday in January, 1913, and terms for subsequent Legislatures last two years. A limit of four consecutive terms in office for members of both the Arizona State Senate and the Arizona State House of Representatives was imposed on terms beginning on or after January 1, 1993. No legislator, after serving the maximum number of terms, including any part of a term served, may serve in the same office until they have been out of office for no less than one full term.

Pursuant to A.R.S. § 38-296, except during the final year of the term being served, no incumbent of a salaried elective office may offer themselves for nomination or election to any salaried local, state or federal office. An incumbent is deemed to have offered themselves for nomination or election upon the filing of a nomination paper; an incumbent is not deemed to have offered themselves for nomination or election to an office by making a formal declaration of candidacy for the office.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 12 states, including Arizona, have two-year terms for state senators. Those states are: Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Vermont. The remaining 38 states have four-year terms for state senators.

Provisions

1. Establishes four-year terms for members of the Arizona State Senate beginning with the Fifty-Sixth Legislature in 2023.

2. Establishes a limit of two consecutive terms for members of the Arizona State Senate beginning with the Fifty-Sixth Legislature in 2023.

3. Stipulates that the increase to a four-year term for state senators shall apply as follows:

a) a state senator who serves three consecutive terms in the Senate and whose first term began in January, 2017 is eligible to serve one additional consecutive term in the Senate that begins in January, 2023 and is not eligible for a fifth consecutive term in the Senate;

b) a state senator who serves two consecutive terms in the Senate and whose first term began in January, 2019 is eligible to serve one additional consecutive term in the Senate that begins in January, 2023 and is not eligible for a fourth consecutive term in the Senate; and

c) a state senator who serves one term in the Senate and whose first term began in January, 2021 without prior consecutive service in the Senate is eligible to serve two additional consecutive terms in the Senate that begin in January, 2023 and January, 2027.

4. Requires the Secretary of State to submit the resolution to the voters at the next general election.