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Texas Term Limits Bill Fails

Veronica Zaragovia

A Republican state senator wants Texas to limit the terms of elected officials like the governor and the attorney general. His bill has made it from the Senate to the Texas House floor, but will it head for the Governor’s desk? 

In fact, it won't. And statewide elected officials in Texas will not see their tenures limited to two four-terms anytime soon.

A bill – SJR 13 -- by State Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, would have amended the Texas constitution to limit statewide offices of the executive branch. That’s if the bill had received support from two-thirds of both chambers and voter approval in November. But it failed in the House, 61 to 80.

One of the bill's key supporters insisted it was not a critique of the Governor.

"This is not a referendum on Rick Perry," State Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, said. "It’s more about straightening out something I think will bring an infusion of new blood, new ideas."

Rep. Larson was the bill's House sponsor. He says 36 other states have term limits for statewide office.

But here in Texas, voters could see the state’s 47th governor back on the ballot in 2014. Sworn in on December 21, 2000, Gov. Perry is the longest-serving governor in Texas history.