Crapo Says Term Limit Laws Don’t Help States Like Idaho

Idaho Rep. Mike Crapo says unless all states are governed by the same congressional term limit laws, they are of little use to states such as Idaho.

“A state like Idaho would be seriously disadvantaged if it put term limits on and other states didn’t,” he said.

In November, Idaho voters favored a term limit law by 234,703-160,748, nearly 60 percent. Among other things, the new law limits congressmen to serving six years out of the previous 11 years. A congressman who exceeded the term limit could run again, but only as a write-in.

“I don’t think a six-year term is the right amount,” he said Friday. He also opposes the Idaho term limit law because it imposes limits on local officials.

Crapo was interviewed for KTVB’s weekend “Viewpoint” program.

Crapo, an Idaho Falls lawyer and state senator before being elected to Congress in 1992, said the courts have ruled against term limits on members of Congress.

“It went way past where it should … down to the school board level. I just thought it was an unwise decision,” he said, of the Idaho law.

Crapo said Idaho residents who voted so strongly for the term limits law were aware of his reservations about it.