In state legislatures throughout the United States, vital proposals for new or revised laws as well as ethical reforms are frequently blocked by powerful leaders, frequently called a speaker in lower houses or majority leaders in upper bodies. The enormous power they wield can lead to corruption.
In some states, the majority of the members of state legislature have little influence, since only two or three individuals, including the governor and the leaders of the upper and lower houses make most of the key decisions. Clearly, this is not in the interests of the citizenry, and it is doubtful whether the founders of the nation at large or the individual states envisioned a process that trivializes the role of the overwhelming majority of elected representatives.
One solution to this issue has been the institution of term limits. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures “Proposals to limit the terms of state legislators have been the subject of public policy debate since 1990. Since then, 21 states have adopted term limits, but court cases and repeals mean that only 15 states now have term limits for legislators.” The concept hasn’t been a panacea for all the ills affecting state governments. Critics note that inexperienced legislatures may lead to a transfer of power to the appointed staffs either of the legislature itself, the bureaucracy, or the governor.
Legislative bodies, like all groups, require rules and a leadership structure in order to function properly. But change must occur when leadership exceeds the requirements for actual organizational and efficiency purposes and effectively disenfranchises most members.