HD22 - Report on the Two-Term for Governor Study


Executive Summary:
[The executive summary was replaced 6/30/05]

Two-Term for Governor Study -- HJR 13 (2004)

At the 2004 Regular Session, the General Assembly agreed to House Joint Resolution No. 13 and established a joint subcommittee to study the appropriate balance of power between the legislative and executive branches to support a two-term Governor in the Commonwealth.

The joint subcommittee elected Delegate R. Steven Landes and Senator Jeannemarie Devolites Davis as its chairman and vice-chairman, respectively. The joint subcommittee held four meetings during the 2004 interim and received extensive testimony from a number of individuals from the public and private sector on the appropriate length for the Governor's term and its impact on the operations of state government and the Commonwealth's economic vitality.

The joint subcommittee heard from the current Governor, several former Governors, the chairmen of the two major political parties, and the President of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce on the question of whether the Governor should be allowed the right to succeed himself. Governor Mark Warner stated that he supported the two-term Governor proposal because long range planning is difficult with the current one-term limit.

The opinions of the former Governors varied considerably on what should be the appropriate term for the Governor. Former Governors Linwood Holton and Gerald Baliles spoke in favor of a single six-year term as a compromise position to give the Governor additional time to oversee his initiatives and provide him with insulation from the political pressure of running a reelection campaign. Former Governor Senator George Allen supported the current constitutional limit and stated that the Governor should focus on setting strong, clear, and principled goals to accomplish and issues to address during the four years in office. Former Governor James Gilmore supported the constitutional amendment to allow the Governor to succeed himself for an additional four-year term, citing the challenges and limitations faced by a one-term governor. Former Governor Charles Robb also stated that he supported succession given the current realities of the office and the relationship with the General Assembly. Additional support to allow the Governor to serve two consecutive terms came from the Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, the Chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, who stressed the importance of accountability in government, and the President of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, who emphasized the benefits of continuity in the Governor's office to the health of the Commonwealth's economic development and growth.

In addition, the joint subcommittee identified a number of responsibilities and functions of the Governor and the General Assembly for review in concert with the constitutional amendment to allow the Governor to succeed himself. The joint subcommittee conducted a preliminary review of several restructuring proposals to (i) lengthen the session to 60 days in the odd-numbered years, (ii) shift the budget cycle, (iii) provide for annual budgets, (iv) create an independent economic and revenue forecasting commission, (v) allow for legislative veto or suspension of administrative regulations, and (vi) increase legislative oversight of the boards of visitors of the public institutions of higher learning and the Commonwealth Transportation Board. Because of the complexity of the issues involved with these proposals, the joint subcommittee agreed that more time was needed to conduct a proper analysis and unanimously recommended seeking continuation of the study for one year.

In addition to recommending its continuation, introduced as HJR 707, the joint subcommittee agreed to endorse three legislative initiatives for consideration at the 2005 Regular Session of the General Assembly:

• A constitutional amendment to allow the Governor to succeed himself for one four-year term. Introduced as HJR 652 and SJR 401.

• A bill to provide for a more formalized and expanded confirmation process that includes review of the resumes and statements of economic interests of gubernatorial appointees by a joint subcommittee of the two Committees on Privileges and Election. Introduced as HB 2144 and SB 999.

• A bill to require the Secretary of the Commonwealth to distribute the financial disclosure statement forms to officers appointed by legislative authorities serving on executive branch boards. Introduced as HB 2136.