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RALEIGH - Voters would be asked to extend legislators' terms from two years to four years under a bill that nearly 60 members of the House co-sponsored last week.

The measure raises an issue in perennial discussion over the past decade, with backers saying less-frequent elections would mean less time spent raising money to run for office.

"It would take half the money out of it," said Rep. Hugh Holliman, a Lexington Democrat and the House majority leader. "We start the session, spend our first year here, and then we spend the whole second year campaigning."

Money raised from special interests for campaigns is often at the heart of questionable legislative practices and scandals at the General Assembly, including the saga that eventually sent House Speaker Jim Black to prison.

Less need to raise money, proponents of the measure argue, would mean fewer opportunities to run afoul of legal or ethical rules.

Rep. Alma Adams, a Greensboro Democrat, points out that county commissioners have four-year terms.

"You need continuity in this job to really get a handle on it," Adams said. "Two years is really not enough time."

Supporters also include Republicans, including Rep. Harold Brubaker of Asheboro, who is one of its chief sponsors.

Other co-sponsors include Democratic Reps. Nelson Cole of Reidsivlle and Maggie Jeffus and Earl Jones of Greensboro.

The General Assembly would have to pass two bills to make the change. One would tweak a series of state laws. The other would put a state constitutional amendment on the ballot.

Voters would have to approve the amendment before the other changes to state law could take effect.

A measure with a similar provision passed the Senate in 2001, but the House stripped that bill and used it to help pass an unrelated law.

Since then, the idea of expanding legislators' terms to four years has been much discussed but never gained a huge amount of traction.

And don't expect this year to be much different, say leaders in both chambers.

"They're probably not good," Holliman said when asked about the chances for a ballot measure to reach voters, much less pass the referendum. "But it's an idea that needs to be looked at and discussed."

There is no corresponding bill in the Senate.

Although Sen. Marc Basnight, his chamber's leader, said the idea would be "a tremendous benefit," he said flatly, "People would not vote for it."

Voters, he said, are traditionally reluctant to give up control over elected officials. The one way he thinks it may pass is if the measure were paired with a constitutional restriction on the length of a legislative session.

Other legislators say lengthening their terms is a bad idea.

"As long as the legislature has the ability to raise taxes, we need to be elected every two years," said Sen. Phil Berger, an Eden Republican.

Voters, he said, should have the option to express their displeasure with tax increases.

Rep. Paul "Skip" Stam, an Apex Republican and his party's leader in the House, said he's undecided on the idea but notes the state constitution calls for "frequent" elections "for redress of grievances."

How frequent, Stam said, might be an open question, but two years seems reasonable.

"I haven't decided but I don't think I like the idea" of four-year terms, Stam said. "And believe me, I don't like having to run every two years anymore than anyone else."

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com