skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, May 24, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Harvard sues Trump administration to halt federal ban on enrolling international students; New climate change research: People can't fight it alone; Imprisoning KY parents has worsened foster care crisis; Soap Box Derby prepares future IN race car drivers.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A deadlocked Supreme Court prevents nation's first publicly funded religious school, House Republicans celebrate passage of their domestic policy bill, and Trump administration sues states for taking climate action.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Despite lawmaker efforts, rural communities still short of crucial broadband, new Trump administration priorities force USDA grant recipients to reapply, and Appalachia's traditional broom-making craft gets an economic boost from an international nonprofit.

Constitutional Convention On the Table Again in Idaho

play audio
Play

Friday, January 26, 2018   

BOISE, Idaho – Idaho lawmakers are once again proposing joining 28 other states in the call for a Constitutional Convention.

On Thursday, legislators printed the bill that would allow states to convene a convention under Article Five of the Constitution once 34 states had signed on. Convention seekers want to add a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, and with only six more states needed, groups are making a strong push in Idaho.

Thirty-eight states would need to agree to any proposed amendment for it to added to the Constitution.

But Adrienne Evans, executive director with United Vision for Idaho, says people are concerned across the political spectrum, because a convention wouldn't necessarily by constrained to a single subject.

"It's scary for anybody, right? So, your interests might be the First Amendment. Others' might be the Second Amendment. And the crux of this is that it all would be on the table," says Evans.

Last week, the group Convention of States rallied on the steps of the State Capitol in Boise to support this effort. It also has support from the conservative think tank, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

Evans says a convention would be an opportunity for special interests to advance their agendas. She is also skeptical that a balanced budget amendment would be the only proposal on the table.

She points out that a convention isn't necessary to add amendments to the Constitution.

"This is our founding document, and there's absolutely a process by which we can make amendments to the Constitution,” she says. “What Article V calls for is something that's never happened in our nation's history, and that is to trigger a Constitutional Convention, the only one of which we've ever had was in the writing of the Constitution."

The same proposal to join convention-seeking states failed last session. However, over the summer, some Idaho lawmakers went to Arizona to participate in a practice Constitutional Convention.

Evans says constitutional lawyers still aren't sure how a convention would work, and rules such as the number of delegates from each state could be scrapped or changed at any time. At the bill printing Thursday, lawmakers said constituents want the hearings on this bill to be public.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Florida has become the second state to officially ban fluoride in public drinking water. (Pixabay)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Florida's new law banning fluoride in public water systems has drawn sharp criticism from dental professionals, who cite decades of evidence …


Environment

play sound

Tax revenue from marijuana sales in Montana will now support a wider variety of conservation projects, since Gov. Greg Gianforte has signed House …

Environment

play sound

Memorial Day weekend is the start of recreational boating season in Minnesota. State officials are encouraged by recent trends in keeping people safe …


Five years after George Floyd's murder, Minnesota government researchers say racial disparities are still a challenge, including a widening homeownership gap for Black residents. (Adobe Stock)

play sound

The racial reckoning spurred by George Floyd's murder got the public's attention about possible progress in ending wealth disparities. A Black-led …

Social Issues

play sound

A budget plan taking shape in Congress is getting attention for tax cuts and reductions for safety-net programs. Policy experts in South Dakota also …

In 2004, British Petroleum introduced the carbon calculator, reframing the climate crisis as a matter of personal responsibility, according to reporting from The Guardian. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient.Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for West Virginia News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service C…

Social Issues

play sound

May is National Foster Care Month, and Kentucky advocacy groups across the political spectrum say the state hasn't done enough to keep kids out of …

Social Issues

play sound

By Enrique Saenz for Mirror Indy.Broadcast version by Terri Dee for Indiana News Service reporting for the Mirror Indy-Free Press Indiana-Public News …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021