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SDPB Radio Coverage of the South Dakota Legislature. See all coverage and find links to audio and video streams live from the Capitol at www.sdpb.org/statehouse

Term Limit Extension Proposal Alive

Some lawmakers think the state legislature needs longer term limits, and they want all of South Dakota to decide.

State Representative Charlie Hoffman says he and Senator Dan Lederman plan to hold cracker barrels and campaign for the extension. He says voters have addressed eliminating term limits before, but they haven’t weighed in on whether to extend a lawmaker’s time from eight years to twelve. Hoffman says the law now doesn’t allow enough time to acclimate in Pierre.

"When you come into the House or Senate and you are a freshman, it’s a straight-up learning jump. You don’t have a curve; you have to get it right off the bat," Hoffman says. "You have to learn how to do process. You have to learn how to be a good committee member. You have to learn the rules in either house that you’re on. "

Hoffman says lawmakers running for a fourth term could be eligible for two more in the future, but people at current term limits couldn’t extend their time in the legislature.

The Senate State Affairs committee supports the resolution to encourage voters to consider a term limit change. The non-binding House Joint Resolution 1002 moves to the full Senate.

Kealey Bultena grew up in South Dakota, where her grandparents took advantage of the state’s agriculture at nap time, tricking her into car rides to “go see cows.” Rarely did she stay awake long enough to see the livestock, but now she writes stories about the animals – and the legislature and education and much more. Kealey worked in television for four years while attending the University of South Dakota. She started interning with South Dakota Public Broadcasting in September 2010 and accepted a position with television in 2011. Now Kealey is the radio news producer stationed in Sioux Falls. As a multi-media journalist, Kealey prides herself on the diversity of the stories she tells and the impact her work has on people across the state. Kealey is always searching for new ideas. Let her know of a great story! Find her on Facebook and twitter (@KealeySDPB).