Read the Article, while I think the 17th amendment should be repealed and States given back their ‘Ambassadors’ to the federal government.
But the proposal going forward is not about the 17th, it’s about “propose amendments to change various provisions of the Constitution” to quote the Indiana Senate Leader.
So unless the Convention of States limits itself to the 17th, I don’t support it. Don’t want to open that door under *any* guise and in no uncertain terms.
Would also like to see a rule ‘absolutely no outside lobbying by any group’.
"The initial meeting won't actually consider potential amendment topics, Long said. Instead, it's intended to set up the rules to be followed if and when a constitutional convention is called."
Senator Long's idea is brilliant. It will be a pre-amendment convention, not unlike the first Mount Vernon convention of 1785. Returning delegates will inform their legislatures of the concerns of other states, and hopefully get all the states to agree to a common application to congress.
The first is from the American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative pro-business group. This document has been sent to every state legislator in the country.
Proposing Constitutional Amendments by a Convention of the States: A Handbook for State Lawmakers
The second is a 1973 report from the American Bar Association attempting to identify gray areas in the amendatory process to include an Amendments Convention. It represents the view of the ruling class of 40 years ago. While I don't like some of their conclusions, they have laid out the precedents that may justify those conclusions. What I respect is the comprehensive job they did in locating all the gray areas. They went so far as to identify a gray area that didn't pop up until the Equal Rights Amendment crashed and burned a decade later. Even if you find yourself in disagreement with their vision, it's worth reading to see how the ruling class will try to dominate an Amendments Convention.
Report of the ABA Special Constitutional Convention Study Committee