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A proposal to have Utah join a Constitutional Convention aimed at uniting states behind amendments to rein in the federal government failed Wednesday in the Utah House, amid pressure from conservative groups concerned about what such a gathering might ultimately produce.
HJR14 by Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, to discuss amendments aimed at fiscal restraint, limiting the federal government's reach and imposing term limits failed by just four votes after lengthy debate focused on the intent of the Founding Fathers and fears some with "nefarious" aims may rig the outcome.
Ivory challenged his colleagues to "grab the steering wheel" and avert a catastrophe that would come from runaway federal spending and sprawling government.
"The guarantee we do have is that $18 trillion [in federal debt] will be 20 trillion and 25 trillion and 30 trillion before you know it," Ivory said. "It's guaranteed we will have another 90,000 pages of regulations that criminalize every aspect of your life if we do nothing."
If bad amendments are proposed, Ivory said, they would still have to be ratified by three-fourths of the states, which he said is an extremely high bar.
But Rep. Jake Anderegg, R-Lehi, argued that once the convention is called, he was concerned that leaders in Congress — he named Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner, both Republicans — would be able to set the agenda and the rules to rig the outcome.
"I do believe there are evil and conspiring men that would take every opportunity to stand up and to thwart what I believe is … one of the greatest articles of free government this world has ever seen," Anderegg said.
Groups like the Eagle Forum opposed the bill. Supporters of the bill distributed fliers to members urging their support and quoting late LDS apostles Marion G. Romney as well as J. Reuben Clark, who said the Constitution was inspired by God and that "The Lord prescribed the way, the procedure, by which the inspired framework of that Constitution could be changed."
Another bill, which would also call a Constitutional Convention solely to consider a balanced-budget amendment, is still pending in the House.
Twitter: @RobertGehrke