AUGUSTA – The sponsor of a bill that would send the issue of term limits back to the voters for an advisory opinion toughened up his proposal Tuesday by offering an amendment that would make the referendum vote binding.

“It was suggested that I offer this amendment and people seem receptive,” said Rep. John Tuttle, D-Sanford. “I think people want this to be a binding referendum.”

In 1993, Mainers voted 159,785 to 76,732 in favor of the current law, which limits legislators to serving no more than four consecutive two-year terms. The decision came on the heels of a 1991 state shutdown resulting from entrenched partisan politics in the State House over Workers’ Compensation costs and the 1992 “ballotgate” scandal. An ensuing investigation of that incident culminated in ballot-tampering convictions against a key aide to then-House Speaker John L. Martin, D-Eagle Lake.

Convinced that Maine’s system offered too much power to incumbents and encouraged legislators to make a career out of elective office, proponents of term limits began a citizen-initiated referendum to successfully enact the new law. But in recent years, the law has had its critics. Opponents claim that four terms are insufficient to prepare freshmen legislators for key leadership roles. They also maintain that term limits erode the Legislature’s institutional memory, provide a greater advantage for the governor and increase the influence of lobbyists.

In January, the Legislature’s Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee voted 12-1 in favor of LD 1340, which seeks an advisory referendum on repealing legislative term limits during the Nov. 5 general election. Should Maine voters favor repeal, the bill requires the committee to report out a bill in the next year to “implement the perceived will of the people.” Tuttle’s amendment would strike the advisory language and replace it with a binding provision that simply would have voters deciding the issue at the polls without having to go back to the Legislature.

Lawmakers remain divided over term limits and many are reluctant to revisit an issue approved by such a large majority of the voters. Rep. John Michael, an Auburn independent, predicted that even if the measure makes it out of the Legislature, it will be rejected by the voters.

“This is the politicians doing us this big favor of putting on the ballot a question to repeal term limits, but that same bunch of flunkies can’t go get the signatures themselves,” Michael said. “And they won’t because there’s no support for it.”