Sen. Todd M. Lakey (R, Nampa) at the Idaho Capitol on Jan. 17, 2022. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun)
Idaho legislators are debating whether Idaho should call for a convention of states to amend the U.S. Constitution.
The Constitution has never been amended through a convention of the states — a process outlined in the U.S. Constitution that requires applications by 34 states.
The Idaho Senate Judiciary Rules and Administration Committee on Wednesday advanced a resolution calling for a convention to the full Senate.
Supporters argue a convention is needed to rein in the rising federal deficit and an increasingly powerful federal government, but critics worry that a convention could put the entire Constitution up for change. Representatives of the Idaho Republican Party and the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance also opposed the resolution.
Nineteen states have applied for a convention of the states over the past decade, according to the advocacy group Convention of States Action. Amendments proposed in that convention must be ratified by 38 states to take effect.