NYC Gazette

Speaker Carl Heastie and Assemblymember Ken Zebrowski announced that the Assembly passed a resolution rescinding all previous applications made by the New York State Legislature to call for a constitutional convention. Heastie emphasized the importance of protecting rights, stating, “We cannot let Americans be held hostage to the whims of those that want to limit our rights or alter our democracy.” Zebrowski echoed this sentiment, saying, “Our rights are too important to leave up to chance.”

The resolution aims to prevent the manipulation of historical calls for a constitutional convention for future, unrelated purposes. By repealing and rescinding prior calls, the Assembly seeks to ensure that resolutions passed in a different time and context cannot be used by bad faith actors to alter the course of the country and the Constitution.

The move comes amidst debates among constitutional scholars regarding the expiration of historical applications for a constitutional convention. The resolution passed by the Assembly specifically targets previous calls for a federal constitutional convention, with the goal of preventing wealthy interest groups from exploiting these calls in the future.

The New York State Legislature has a history of passing resolutions calling for constitutional conventions, dating back to 1789. These resolutions have covered various topics, including amendments to promote common interests, the repeal of the 18th amendment, and the allowance of public funds for secular education. With the recent resolution, the Assembly aims to safeguard the integrity of the constitutional convention process and protect the rights of current and future generations from potential manipulation.