Establishes a legislative commission on article V conventions of the states to represent the state of New York at article V conventions; provides penalties for commissioners who exceed their scope of authority and individuals who interfere with the duties of a commissioner.
Summary
This bill creates a new legislative commission on Article V conventions of the states to represent New York if a convention is convened under Article V of the U.S. Constitution. The commission would consist of nine commissioners appointed by legislative leaders from both parties, with one additional member chosen by consensus, and would include eligibility restrictions such as New York voter registration, U.S. citizenship, age minimums, and bans on recent federal lobbying, federal employment, federal officeholding, and certain felony convictions. The bill also requires commissioners to take an oath, receive compensation comparable to an Assembly member, and comply with gift restrictions.
The commission’s role would be to act only within authority assigned by the Legislature through resolution, and it would be prohibited from supporting any change to the traditional one-state-one-vote rule or from voting for amendments that alter specified constitutional guarantees of individual liberty, including the Bill of Rights and several Reconstruction-era and voting-rights amendments. The bill also authorizes the commission to hire staff and sets out criminal penalties for commissioners who exceed their authority and for individuals who bribe, threaten, intimidate, or obstruct commissioners or similar representatives from other states.
Impact
The bill would amend the Legislative Law by adding a new section establishing a formal state mechanism for participation in an Article V convention. It would create new duties, qualifications, ethics rules, compensation provisions, and enforcement penalties for commissioners, while also giving the Legislature continuing control over the commission’s instructions through resolution. In practical terms, it would affect the structure of New York’s representation at any future constitutional convention and create new state-law penalties tied to commissioner misconduct and interference with convention duties.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the limited available context, the measure appears to be framed as a precautionary and protective response to the possibility of an Article V convention. The overall tone is cautious and procedural, emphasizing legislative oversight, limits on commissioner authority, and safeguards for constitutional rights. There is no recorded committee debate or vote history in the provided materials, so no direct evidence of broader support or opposition is available from the transcript or voting record.
Contention
The main points of contention likely concern whether New York should participate in an Article V convention at all, and if so, how much authority commissioners should have once appointed. The bill tightly constrains commissioners by barring support for changes to the one-state-one-vote rule and by prohibiting votes for amendments affecting core constitutional liberties, which could draw criticism from those who favor a broader convention mandate. The criminal penalties for exceeding authority or interfering with commissioners may also be debated as to whether they are necessary safeguards or overly restrictive enforcement tools.
Same As
Establishes a legislative commission on article V conventions of the states to represent the state of New York at article V conventions; provides penalties for commissioners who exceed their scope of authority and individuals who interfere with the duties of a commissioner.