State Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, is moving ahead with his push for a state constitutional convention, he announced this week.
Conklin, whose district includes State College, said he will soon introduce a formal bill calling for a convention. If approved by state legislators, the bill would allow Pennsylvania voters to decide via referendum whether they want a convention to happen.
The referendum would be placed on ballots statewide Nov. 8.
Conklin has long advocated for a convention, making it a centerpiece of his reelection campaign last year. He has argued that the event should reexamine the overall operation of the state government; the redistricting process; no-bid contracts; and pay-to-play practices, among other key elements. It would likely end in revisions to the state constitution.
That last happened in 1968. But the constitutional convention that year was limited in scope, Conklin has said. He said the last comprehensive constitutional convention in Pennsylvania was held in the late 1800s.
‘A constitutional convention is the most important reform this commonwealth could undertake at this time,’ Conklin said in a prepared statement. ‘It would fulfill the self-governance prophecy upon which this country was built: ‘government of the people, by the people, for the people.”
Under the Conklin proposal, the convention would begin on April 2, 2012, with the election of convention officers and the formation of committees. Convention delegates wouldn’t be allowed to serve in public office for two years after the convention. They would be paid at a rate equal to legislators’ base compensation, and lobbying of delegates by registered lobbyists would be forbidden.
The bill will call for proposed constitutional changes to be presented to voters during the November 2012 general election, Conklin has said.
StateCollege.com will post additional information as it becomes available.
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