Amador County – A measure by Alyson Huber that would allow a public vote on whether to convene a State Constitutional Convention will be heard by a committee of the state Assembly Tuesday.

Assemblywoman Alyson Huber (D–El Dorado Hills) will present Assembly Concurrent Resolution 95 before the Assembly Judiciary Committee at 8a.m. Tuesday April 24 in room 4202 of the State Capitol. The hearings are also available via audio feed online, through the state Legislature’s website.

Huber said in a release Monday that Assembly Concurrent Resolution 95 is “a measure asking that voters be given an opportunity to vote in the next general election on whether the State should call a convention to examine revising California’s constitution.”

The California Constitution “is the second longest constitution in the United States,” Huber said, “and instead of being a fundamental document of governance the constitution today contains almost 75 percent statutory material” – with many of the statutes being “outdated and not reflecting California’s governmental and fiscal realities.”

Nationally, other states have convened more than 230, constitutional conventions, with 35 occurring since 1951, Huber said. In some states, including Alaska, Iowa and Michigan, voters are asked every 10 years whether a Constitutional Convention is needed. In Illinois, Maryland, New York and five other states, a vote is taken every 20 years on convening a Constitutional Convention.

If Assembly Concurrence Resolution 95 is passed by the Assembly Judiciary Committee, it must pass both the Assembly and Senate by a two-thirds majority vote to be eligible to appear on a statewide ballot, Huber said.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.