BOISE -- A resolution supporting repeal of the amendment that gives voters the right to pick U.S. Senators has died in a House committee.
The House State Affairs Committee voted 13-6 to defeat the measure encouraging the repeal of the 17th Amendment in the U.S. Constitution.
The loss is a blow for Mountain Home Rep. Pete Nielsen, who claimed such a step was necessary to get the U.S. Senate more in tune with the needs of states.
But several lawmakers said they were concerned with wording in measure, including a reference calling Congress an "arrogant bureaucracy."
The 17th Amendment put the power of electing senators in the hands of voters instead of state legislatures, which were criticized for delaying appointments and engaging in unethical behavior in picking senators.
