Thursday, June 12, 2014
You might have heard about the Mount Vernon Assembly being held this week at the Indiana Statehouse. In today’s blog post, we’ll answer some frequently asked questions about this event.
1. What is the Mount Vernon Assembly?
On June 12 and 13, more than 100 state legislators from 33 states will meet at the Indiana Statehouse. In December 2013, a similar meeting was held at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate in Virginia. The goal of this conference is to continue to establish the rules and procedures needed for a future state-led convention that would propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
2. What is an amendments convention?
There are two ways to modify the U.S. Constitution, and they are both authorized under Article V of the Constitution. The first begins in Congress, where two-thirds of both houses pass a proposed constitutional amendment. From there, it is sent to the states for ratification, or approval. Three-fourths of the states (38 states) must ratify the amendment through their own state legislatures or a special ratifying convention.
The second path begins with the states, and this is called an “amendments convention.” Two-thirds of the states (34 states) ask Congress to call a convention for proposing amendments, and states send delegates to the convention. These delegates can propose amendments to the Constitution. After an amendment is approved by the convention, three-fourths of the states must ratify the amendment through their state legislatures or a ratifying convention.
3. What amendments will the Mount Vernon Assembly consider?
The Mount Vernon Assembly won’t be considering any specific constitutional amendments, but rather, it will build the framework to hold an amendments convention, should one be called under Article V.
4. Why hold an amendments convention to begin with?
The Founding Fathers included the state-led amendment option in the Constitution for a reason. It was meant to serve as a check on a runaway federal government. Up until now, all of the Constitution’s amendments have been proposed by Congress, leading some Americans to believe that states’ voices are being neglected. Additionally, many are concerned about the size and scope of the federal government and believe it’s up to the states to intervene.
5. Can the public watch the Mount Vernon Assembly?
Yes. Specific public viewing areas will be set up at the Statehouse in Indianapolis. For those unable to travel, you can stream the meeting live at this website. The Mount Vernon Assembly will be held in the House chamber.
If you have other questions, feel free to contact us on Facebook or Twitter. We’ll provide updates throughout the day.
