In this Feb. 21, 2013, file photo, state Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey holds a news conference in his office in NashvilleNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee lawmakers have joined four other states in calling for a national convention on amending the U.S. Constitution that one supporter called the "atomic bomb of politics."
The resolution sponsored by Republican Rep. Sheila Butt of Columbia passed on a 59-31 vote in the House on Thursday. The Senate previously voted 23-5 in favor of the measure.
Butt said the convention would be limited to focusing on adding fiscal and jurisdictional restraints on the federal government and to urge term limits for members of Congress. Opponents voiced concerns that a constitutional convention could quickly overstep those bounds and seek to changes to religious and gun rights.
Tennessee joins Alabama, Alaska, Florida and Georgia in approving the measure. Thirty more states would have to agree for the convention to be called.