Maine Rejects Resolution Calling for an Article V Convention to Pursue Campaign Finance Reforms, Term Limits Still on the Table

Maine lawmakers in the state Senate have rejected a push to call for an Article V Convention to amend the U.S. Constitution.

The now-defunct request would have called specifically sought to call an Article V Convention to implement campaign finance reform.

This, however, is not the only Article V resolution on the table in Augusta this year, as lawmakers are still considering the possibility of requesting a Convention to propose the imposition of term limits on members of Congress and Supreme Court Justices.

In order for an Article V Convention to be called, thirty-four state legislatures — representing at two-thirds of the nation — must pass requesting applications.

If enough state legislatures issue similar requests, Article V of the U.S. Constitution requires that an amending convention be held.

Although the resolutions brought before the Maine State Legislature specify what kind of amendments the state would ask to be discussed, it is not clear if such a convention could actually be limited to a pre-approved agenda.

Constitutional scholars disagree as to if and how an Article V convention could be constrained in its purpose, as the Constitution is largely silent on the specifics of what such one would look like in practice. An Article V convention has never been held, but both conservative and progressive activists have in recent years advocated for such an convention as a means of achieving drastic reforms that Congress its appears unwilling to tackle.

[RELATED: Maine May Soon Join Calls for an Article V Convention to Amend the U.S. Constitution]

SP10 advocates that a convention be called to impose term limits upon both members of Congress and Supreme Court Justices, while the now-rejected SP173 sought campaign finance reform.

The Veterans and Legal Affairs (VLA) Committee issued a divided report on SP173, with all but three committee members recommending that it Ought Not to Pass.

Voting in support of the resolution were Sen. Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec), Rep. Quentin J. Chapman (R-Auburn), and Rep. Ann Fredericks (R-Sanford).

When brought before the Senate, this recommendation was accepted in a roll call vote of 19-16. Although most Republicans express support for the resolution and most Democrats indicated opposition, there was some degree of crossover.

Click Here for More Information on SP 173

The second Article V Convention resolution focusing on term limits appears to have a somewhat stronger degree of support, at least among members of the VLA Committee, despite the majority still recommending that the bill Ought Not to Pass.

This time, all Republican committee members voted in support of the resolution while all Democrats opposed it.

The proposed term limits for senators and representatives were not specified in the joint resolution, but it does articulate that lawmakers are seeking to give Supreme Court Justices staggered term limits of 18 years.

This report will now go before the full Legislature where it will face a vote on the chamber floor.

Click Here for More Information on SP 10

According to Convention of States — an organization that advocates in favor of legislation such as SP10 and SP173 — nineteen states have passed applications an Article V convention beginning with Georgia in 2014.