Staff Writer 

 If Old Orchard Beach State Rep. George Hogan has his way, Mainers will make less frequent, longer lasting commitments to their legislators starting this year. His bill, LD-31, could change term lengths in both the Maine House and Senate from two to four years. Hogan said LD-31 would not, however, affect the total number of years legislators may be in office, as it limits them to two four-year terms rather than four two-year terms. Proposals to add terms so legislators could serve more than the current eight-year cap have been defeated in public referendums, Hogan said. 

“I don’t want to question what the people have voted on,” he said. 

Hogan said the bill has less to do with politics than it does fiscal responsibility, as he believes it could save the state up to $5 million a year.

“[LD-31] was predicated on saving money,” he said. “It eliminates the need for two clean election cycles.”

 Executive Director of the Maine Ethics Commission Jonathan Wayne said the Clean Election Program, approved by voters in 1996, has provided participating candidates with funding for campaigns since 2000 in an effort to “encourage candidates to run for office.”

“Some people don’t want to get private investors to fund their campaigns,” he said. “It keeps candidates on a level playing field and reduces the role of private donations.”

Funding for the Clean Election Program comes partly from a voluntary $3 donation “check box” on state tax forms but primarily from the state’s general fund, Wayne said. According to Ethics Commission records, last year the program distributed $2.9 million to 80 percent of all legislative candidates, $2 million of which came from the state’s general fund. House candidates are eligible for more than $4,100, candidates for the Senate can receive nearly $20,000. The program received nearly $230,000 back after the election.

“Candidates have to return any funds they do not use,” Wayne said. “We also audit 20 percent of the candidates in the program. There’s a lot of accountability included in the procedure.”

Wayne said reducing the number of clean election cycles would save money, but he believes Hogan’s $5 million estimate could be high. 

“At least $3 million would be saved,” he said. 

Hogan said fiscal savings might not be enough to win the favor of other legislators and ultimately Maine voters, as the bill would amend the state constitution – a process that requires a majority vote by public referendum. 

“It will be fairly controversial, some people just don’t like four-year terms,” he said. “But with the squeeze and the economic climate we’re in it makes sense.”

State Sen. Lawrence Bliss, who represents South Portland, Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth, said it is not uncommon for state Senate terms to be longer than those in the House, but there’s a reason Maine’s legislative structure is different.

“The idea behind a two-year term is that it enables people to validate their support more frequently,” he said. “Because people [in Maine] are tied to that concept, it intentionally included the Senate.”

Bliss said he will not support the change since “there’s a logical reason” behind the current structure, even though he is confident Hogan’s bill will save money. 

Although Bliss said he would most likely not support LD-31’s proposed changes, he would approve increasing the number of allowable terms for legislators, allowing them to serve more than eight years. 

“I think it’s a good idea but since [a four term limit] was put in place by the citizen’s initiative, [change] would have to originate from a citizen initiative,” he said. 

To check on the status of LD-31 visit janus.state.me.us/legis/LawMakerWeb/search.asp.