West spoke at a Capitol news conference in support of Senate Concurrent Resolution 556, which would make Mississippi 15th state to adopt a resolution calling on a convention to authorize amendments to the U.S. Constitution to limit the power to the federal government. West attacked Republican Lt. Governor after the news conference. Conservative supporters of the resolution attended a luncheon hosted by Tate Reeves near the Capitol. “I have to tell you something. I don’t like when people absolve their responsibilities,” West stated to supporters, explaining that Reeves declined an invitation for the news conference. I don’t like when people misunderstand priorities. I wonder if the lieutenant governor can look in the mirror at the end and see that he didn’t find two more minutes. This is not courage. This is not the way this country was built.” West said: “Ask yourself questions about these elected officials. You should ask them before you vote. Your vote is precious and you have to give it. Men and women have fought for your rights. Who has the courage? Who is competent? Who can stand up and claim to represent you? You’ll need to put them to the test. You can’t trust the person sitting in the office as lieutenant governor of Mississippi. Mississippi conservatives bombarded Reeves’ social media accounts with questions as to why he refused support the resolution, after West’s video was posted on social media. They set up phone banks to contact Reeves’ office to lobby for the resolution to be brought to the floor. Reeves’ inaction in 2018 when the House passed a similar resolution, and Reeves refused to bring it up in Senate, was partly what drove their goal. The Senate, led by Reeves, brought the resolution up for a vote on Thursday. After lengthy debate on the floor, Democrats voiced their concerns about the measure. The resolution was passed with a vote 32-17. The resolution, if passed by the House within the next days, would make Mississippi the fifteenth state legislature to request an Article V Convention of the States. Similar resolutions have been passed by all four neighboring Mississippi states. Article V allows state legislatures to convene a convention to amend the Constitution. The convention must be requested by 34 states, while 38 must ratify any amendment. The Constitution has been amended a total of four times, and the Article V Convention of the States would mark a new milestone in American history. Advocates’ call for a convention to the states was made in order to pass amendments that would impose fiscal restrictions on the federal government, limit its power and jurisdiction, and limit the terms of office for federal officials. “We are having discussions about socialists within our Congress. Things are changing,” stated Sen. Gray Tollison (R-Oxford), who supported the resolution on Thursday’s Senate floor. “This resolution is intended to impose fiscal constraints and limit the power and jurisdiction. The fact that the government is $22 trillion indebted right now is concerning to me and my family. “We have a spending problem in federal government right now.” Legal experts question whether individual resolutions are similar enough to be legal. On Thursday morning, several advocacy groups joined hands to oppose the resolution at a news conference at Capitol. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center, as well as the League of Women Voters, were its opponents. They claimed that the resolution’s scope is so broad that any part of the Constitution can be altered and that Mississippians would not democratically elect the delegates who are sent to Washington for the convention. Lynn Evans, director at Mississippi Common Cause, stated that the bill’s purpose was to weaken and harm the Constitution. “The First Amendment protections for freedom of speech, peaceable assembly, freedom of choice of religion, freedom of the press and the right to petition the Government for redress of grievances is just one category of rights that would be on the agenda.” The Mississippi resolution uses language similar to the Tea Party-led Convention of the States Project. It supports the convention for the reasons stated above. According to the group, 14 states were included in the list of states that have passed Convention of the States resolutions — Arizona, Utah Texas, Oklahoma Arkansas Louisiana Georgia Georgia Florida Indiana North Dakota Missouri Alaska Tennessee and Georgia. On Thursday, several senators criticized the resolution. Sen. David Blount (D-Jackson) stated that “there is nothing more important” than the oath we take to defend and protect the Constitution of the United States. “We can only vote on the most important matters. This Legislature has left a terrible legacy by presenting this resolution in a flippant, casual and reckless manner. Take a look at what we are doing.