Senate Government Operations Committee Chairman Mike Bell on Wednesday joined Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Brian Kelsey, Rep. Dennis Powers, and other lawmakers at a press conference to announce legislation calling for a convention of states for the purpose of adopting a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Senate Joint Resolution 9 and House Joint Resolution 24 provide that the convention of states would be for the limited purposes of 1) planning for, and recommending rules and procedures for an Article V Convention to amend the U.S. Constitution and 2) recommending to Congress the initial date and location in which they would meet.
Article V provides that upon the application of two-thirds of the state legislatures, Congress shall call a convention of the states to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
“Our nation’s founders, Mason and Madison, insisted there be a method for the states to amend the Constitution,” said Senator Bell. “This is contained in Article V. They said that at some point in the future the federal government may grow to such a size that they could become deaf to the concern of the states. Looking at our national debt, which has now reached a $20 trillion, we as a state have a duty or responsibility to try and rein this in. That is what this resolution calling for a convention of states is about.”
The legislation sets the date for convention of states for July 11, in Nashville, with the Article V Convention following as early as November. This convention would be the first formal meeting of the states since 1861.
Presently, 28 of the necessary 34 states have passed the application resolution limited to proposing a balanced budget amendment (BBA).
The organizational structure for the Tennessee BBA Planning Convention will be virtually the same as the convention for proposing the balanced budget amendment as each are a convention of the states. State legislatures will choose a delegation to represent the state at the convention, each state will have one vote, and the convention will deliberate and make recommendations.
“We must plan ahead of time for the convention because there has never been a convention to propose an amendment to the Constitution,” said Senator Kelsey. “The Tennessee Balanced Budget Amendment Planning Convention will create a structure for the Balanced Budget Amendment Convention and will address many of the unanswered questions as to how an amendment convention will function.”
“Over the years, some people have feared that a convention for proposing amendments could get out of control and become a run-a-way convention,” said Rep. Powers. “This planning convention will show that that is not the case.”
More than 30 conventions have been held over the years and the rules and procedures for a convention are well documented. Senator Bell said the convention would incorporate the lessons learned from previous conventions into the rules for the Balanced Budget Amendment Convention.
As part of the Tennessee BBA Planning Convention, states interested in hosting the BBA Amendment Convention will have the opportunity to present to the Planning Convention the advantages of their state being host. If the Planning Convention makes a recommendation to Congress on the time, date, and place, then Congress will have to consider the will of the states in making their determination.