Term Limits Referendum In Senate Committee Tomorrow, For What It's Worth

ALBANY—A bill requiring a referendum on term limits will be heard in a Senate committee tomorrow, but won't necessarily get any farther.

Austin Shafran, a spokesman for State Senator Malcolm Smith, said it will be heard during a meeting of the Elections Committee, and then placed on the calendar. From there, it could sit for months.

State Senator Kevin Parker, the bill's sponsor, said in a Capitol hallway that he is confident it will clear committee and he will hold public hearings on the legislation.

"One game at a time," he said.

Shafran said that Smith is opposed to term limits and thinks the issue should be decided locally, but "he will govern by the consensus of his conference."

He has not taken a position on the bill.

The Assembly companion is still pending before the Ways and Means Committee; its advancement in that chamber is uncertain.