Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, says he is “pleased” the governor is embracing term limits on elected officials in New York State.

As Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, recently announced his support for term limits on legislators and statewide officials.

Since 2009, Senator Griffo says he has supported term limits on members of the Legislature, as well as the governor, comptroller and attorney general.

The bill – S4470/A7775 – would impose an eight-year term limit on governor, comptroller and attorney general, along with 12-year term limits on members of the Legislature that amount to six two-year terms. Griffo co-sponsored the bill along with Assemblyman Michael Kearns, D-West Seneca.

The governor’s proposal differs slightly, by imposing eight-year term limits on legislators after extending their legislative term to four years, instead of two.

While the proposals differ, Griffo says he is “pleased that the governor is finally seizing upon … efforts toward real reform to restore the public’s trust in their elected officials.” Griffo also says he is “encouraged that the latest corruption scandals to shadow Albany seem to have led the governor to be more open to such ethics reform.”

“If you want to fundamentally and dramatically change the culture of Albany, then you need to limit the amount of time our elected officials are in office. Imposing term limits will regularly shake up the makeup of state government, which will force change and reinvigorate the legislative process by bringing in new faces and fresh ideas,” Griffo said in a prepared statement. “There are plenty of compelling concepts being proposed that are worth examining to restore trust in government, but real ethics reform must begin with term limits.”