Term limits provided for governor and lieutenant governor, and constitutional amendment proposed.
HF 1849 proposes a constitutional amendment to limit Minnesota's governor and lieutenant governor to two terms each. If approved by voters in 2026, the amendment would change the state constitution to state that no person may be elected more than twice to either office. The amendment requires a statewide vote at the 2026 general election with a specific ballot question asking voters to approve term limits beginning in 2030. This change would affect all future governors and lieutenant governors, but would not apply to terms served before 2030.
Bill status
in committee
2 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
May 2026
House Failed
May 2026
Governor
Introduced Mar 3, 2025
Last action May 17, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Introduction
→
1st Engrossment
·
2 edits
·
Mar 12, 2026
MINOR
The bill was updated from its introduction to its first engrossment, moving the effective date of the proposed term limits from 2030 to 2026. This change means the new two-term limit for governor and lieutenant governor will apply to candidates elected in 2026, rather than waiting until the 2030 election cycle.
Scope change
The scope of the term limits was accelerated by four years, shifting the applicability from the 2030 general election to the 2026 general election.
TIMELINE
The start date for the term limits was changed from 2030 to 2026, meaning the first term under the new limit will be served by candidates elected in 2026.
The exclusion of prior elections was updated to reflect the new 2026 start date, ensuring elections before 2026 do not count toward the new two-term limit.
Floor votes · House May 17, 2026
How they voted
64–68
Failed
Total votes 132
May 17, 2026
D
Democratic66
100% Nay
R
Republican66
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
12
Key actions
2
Committee
2
May 17, 2026
Vote failed
House Vote: fail (64-68)
house
May 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee report, to adopt
lower
Mar 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee report, to adopt as amended and re-refer to Rules and Legislative Administration
lower
Mar 3, 2025
Introduced
Introduction and first reading, referred to State Government Finance and Policy
lower
1 primary · 23 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Jimmy Gordon
RRepublican
Co
Ben Davis
RRepublican
Co
Bianca Virnig
DDemocratic-Farmer-Labor
Co
Bjorn Olson
RRepublican
Co
Cal Warwas
RRepublican
Co
Elliott Engen
RRepublican
Co
Isaac Schultz
RRepublican
Co
Jeff Backer
RRepublican
Co
Jeff Witte
RRepublican
Co
Jim Joy
RRepublican
Co
John Burkel
RRepublican
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