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No to US Constitutional Convention, Says MD Senate

constitution,fotolia.com

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - The Maryland Senate has voted to nullify four previous calls to the U.S. Congress to hold a constitutional convention.

The Senate voted 34-13 Monday night for the resolution. One Republican joined 33 Democrats to support the resolution. Thirteen Republicans opposed it.

The Maryland General Assembly has passed four calls for a convention since the 1930s to amend the U.S. Constitution. The last one in the 1970s called for an amendment that requires a balanced federal budget.

Other applications involved restoring school prayer, ending the federal income tax and calling for legislative autonomy on apportionment of state legislative bodies.

The resolution was part of a package of initiatives Maryland Democrats outlined in January out of concern for what could happen during a constitutional convention during President Donald Trump's administration.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.