OCR Text |
Show i Hatch by SerutorOrnn Hitch Constitutional conventions The abolition of slavery, freedom of religion, the right to bear arms, freedom of speech, and the voting rights of women, minorities and 18-year-olds are more than just good ideas that have been supported by the United States government. They are all amendments to the U. S. Constitution. Each of these amendments, starting with those that comprise the Bill of Rights, followed the same path when they were added to the Constitution. They were approved by two-thirds of Congress and then ratified by at least three-fourths of the states. Currently proposed amendments, including the Equal Rights Amendment, have begun the same process. But there is another way to amend the U. S. Constitution. Described in Article Ar-ticle V, this little-known method requires re-quires two-thirds of the states to ask Congress to hold what is called a constitutional con-stitutional convention, in which amendments can be proposed and approved ap-proved before being ratified by three-fourths three-fourths of the states. But it soon may be. Thirty-two states, including Utah, have independently in-dependently asked Congress to hold a convention to consider an amendment requiring the federal government to balance its budget. If only two more states choose to approve similar resolutions we will have our first constitutional con-stitutional convention since our founding foun-ding fathers met in Philadelphia. In a June 19 editorial, the Deseret News expressed some important concerns con-cerns that accompany the prospects of our first such convention. "No one can be sure the convention wouldn't try to rewrite most of the Constitution." the editorial said. "If one delegate insists that the convention consider his favorite scheme for tinkering with the Constitution, it would be hard to keep other delegates from pushing their own pet projects for constitutional reform." These arguments and many others conclude that a constitutional convention conven-tion is not the best way to amend the Constitution. I agree. But better methods notwithstanding, the action may soon be rquired to hold a convention. conven-tion. We should be prepared for it. That preparation is the purpose of a bill I am sponsoring that establishes rules to guide the conduct of such conventions, con-ventions, including how they're called, what they consider, and how they work. Its major purpose is to limit a convention to one subject. The rules provided by this bill would be neutrally implemented so that proposed pro-posed amendments, including the balanced budget amendment, which I authored, would be neither helped nor hindered by the mechanics of a constitutional con-stitutional convention. No matter how they're proposed, amendments to the U. S. Constitution deserve nothing less than orderly and effective deliberation. That is what my bill will provide. |