Constitutional convention backers meet in Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS — About 100 lawmakers from 33 states are expected to gather at the Indiana Statehouse for discussions about how to call the first constitutional convention since the nation's founding.

The meetings dubbed the Mount Vernon Assembly are being held Thursday and Friday in Indianapolis following sessions last December at George Washington's home in Virginia.

Actually calling a convention that would allow for the amending of the Constitution needs the consent of 34 states. Most of the delegates to this week's sessions are Republicans and such a constitutional convention has become a cause for many conservatives.

Republican Indiana Senate President Pro Tem David Long has said he joined the effort because he's concerned about the federal government's growing reach.