Nevada lawmakers work to undo decades worth of resolutions
CARSON CITY — Over the years, Nevada lawmakers have passed resolutions calling for a constitutional convention, but legislators may be undoing all that work.
The resolutions, dating back to 1910, are tied to Article V of the U.S. Constitution, which allows state legislatures to call a constitutional convention to work on amendments. To get a convention, two-thirds of states — at least 34 — would need to call a convention.
Senate Joint Resolution 10 would erase and rescind all prior so called “Article V resolutions” Nevada lawmakers have passed. If approved, the resolution would leave the state with no resolutions that could be used to help the nation reach the 34-state threshold needed for a convention.
“It just wipes the slate clean,” said Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, a sponsor of the legislation. The measure was heard Thursday in the Assembly Legislative Operations and Elections Committee.
The resolutions typically are tied to a single issue. For example, in 1973, Nevada lawmakers wanted a convention to end “forced integration in schools.”
“That’s not the Nevada of 2017,” Segerblom said.
More recently, Nevada lawmakers in 1979 wanted a convention for a balanced budget amendment. About 28 states have made similar calls in recent years. The committee did not take action Thursday on the resolution, which passed the Senate unanimously.
Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-0661. Follow @BenBotkin1 on Twitter.