Meadows proposes major government reform

State Rep. Mark Meadows (D-East Lansing) is proposing to overhaul Michigan’s government in a number of ways, including increasing the number of terms a legislator may serve, taking redistricting out of the hands of partisan politicians and allowing a vote on the nominees for Attorney General and Secretary of State.

In a press release, Meadows said:

“As the budget debacles of the past few years have proven, Lansing is broken. At a time when our state faces its greatest challenge, more than a third of our lawmakers are brand new – learning on the job how to deal with an almost $2 billion budget deficit and our unemployment crisis. Even worse, our system rewards lawmakers who are willing only to toe the party line and refuse to compromise. Michigan can do better, and we must do better.”

Meadows’ plan would extend term limits to 12 years in each chamber, and lengthen terms from two to four years in the House and four to six years in the Senate. It would also put the Legislative Services Bureau in charge of redistricting after the census, which would reduce the partisan influence on the process and eliminate gerrymandering.

The plan would also require that the Attorney General and Secretary of State nominees be chosen by primary vote rather than by state party convention.

Many of the changes he is proposing would require constitutional amendments, but the state legislature can start the ball rolling to get those measures on the ballot.