The Wisconsin Assembly moved one step closer to becoming the 21st state to request a constitutional convention Tuesday night.
At the original constitutional convention in 1787, the Founding Fathers met in Philadelphia and replaced the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution.
All Assembly Republicans voted to request a constitutional convention to propose a balanced budget amendment.
State Rep. Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, authored the bill and gave final comments after more than an hour of debate. Kapenga urged legislators to pass the resolution, saying there is no fiscal accountability in Washington, D.C., and warned legislators not to “shrug off responsibility.”
Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, asked Assembly members to vote against the resolution, saying a convention would put the entire Constitution up for potential editing or amendments.
The Assembly also passed a bill specifying how delegates would be chosen should a constitutional convention be called. Under the bill, the president of the Senate would appoint two members, the speaker of the Assembly would appoint two members and the governor would appoint one member from either chamber.
“I shudder to think who we would send,” Barca said.
State Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison, said the American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative lobbying group, had lobbied Republicans to introduce this resolution.
Berceau also said 20 Republican-controlled state legislatures had already passed a request for a constitutional convention.
For an amendment-proposing convention to be held, 34 states must approve the request. Once the convention proposes an amendment it must be ratified by 38 states to become a permanent change.
