COLUMBIA, S.C. — The bill that would add South Carolina to the "convention of states" has passed a key vote in the Senate.
Wednesday evening, South Carolina senators went into their second night of debate to consider whether South Carolina should join the group of states wishing to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution. After about four hours of debate, the bill passed second reading 27-13.
Backers say the goal is to have enough states sign on so state lawmakers can propose changes to the U.S. Constitution that would limit powers of the federal government. However, opponents say it could open the door for more changes than the ones stated.
Article V of the Constitution states if 34 states sign up for the "convention of states," then Congress is required to allow those states to propose constitutional amendments.
“It is a tool that the framers who wrote the Constitution gave the states to push back against the federal government if it ever got out of control,” said Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey.
18 states have passed laws to join the convention, with West Virginia being the latest in March 2022. According to an organization called the Convention of States Action, seven states may be close to passing the same law, including South Carolina.
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Massey told News19, “this is an opportunity for the states to try to reign in the federal government, to push back on some of the outlandish things that we see come out of Washington D.C.”
Some ways the bill plans to limit the federal government is to propose constitutional amendments that would cap federal spending and set term limits for members of Congress.
However, opponents like Senator Dick Harpootlian said those things can be handled through elections. “Here’s a novel suggestion on term limits: Beat them,” Harpootlian said about lawmakers that have held their seats for a long time.
Harpootlian also expressed concerns that the bill doesn’t detail how representatives for the convention would be picked nor how it'd be paid for.
“I’ve never seen a more irresponsible piece of legislation in my very short time here, because none of the details are spelled out,” said Harpootlian.
If eventually enough states sign up and a convention is called, any changes proposed to the constitution would need to be approved by 38 states.
News19 asked Governor McMaster if he’d sign the 'convention of states' bill into law.
McMaster answered, “there’s no doubt that Congress has got to quit spending more than they bring in, but the best thing for me to do is see these bills, see what’s actually passed, before I comment on it.”
The bill will need one more procedural vote before going back to the House to see if the chamber concurs with the technical amendments the Senate made.