Gov. Henry McMaster signed into law the bill seeking changes to the Constitution after state lawmakers tailored the call for a convention to putting spending checks on the federal government, curbing the federal government’s jurisdiction and power, and setting term limits for Congress. About 18 other states, mostly Republican-led and concentrated in the South, have passed similar proposals. Congress needs requests from 34 states to convene a convention of the states.
Supporters have pointed out whatever amendments are suggested by the convention would then have to be passed by three-fourths of the states — 38 legislatures or special conventions. The only convention called in nearly 250 years of the nation so far, the one that wrote the current Constitution from scratch, was initially proposed just to make changes to the original government charter of the U.S., the Articles of Confederation.