JOINT RESOLUTION TO APPROVE, PUBLISH AND SUBMIT TO THE ELECTORS A PROPOSITION OF AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE -- FOUR YEAR TERMS AND TERM LIMITS FOR REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATORS (Proposes an amendment to the State Constitution, Article IV, Section 1, that would create four (4) year terms for general assembly members and impose term limits of three (3) full four (4) year terms on said members commencing with the 2028 election.)

Rhode Island Bill Summary: Four-Year Terms and Term Limits for State Legislators

This bill proposes a change to Rhode Island's State Constitution that would affect how long members of the state's General Assembly (both the House of Representatives and the Senate) can serve. Currently, state legislators serve two-year terms with no limit on how many times they can be re-elected. This proposal would extend those terms to four years and, for the first time, place a cap on how long any one person could serve in the legislature.

Under the proposed amendment, legislators would be limited to three full four-year terms, meaning the maximum time a person could serve in either chamber would be 12 years. These new rules would take effect starting with the 2028 election. Because this is a constitutional amendment, it cannot simply be passed by the legislature alone — it would need to be approved by Rhode Island voters in a public referendum before it could become law.

This change would affect all current and future members of the Rhode Island House and Senate, as well as voters across the state. Longer terms could mean less frequent elections, while term limits would regularly open up seats for new candidates. The bill is currently in its early stages, having been referred to the House State Government & Elections Committee, which has recommended holding it for further study rather than moving it forward immediately.