119-hconres15

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 15 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
H. CON. RES. 15

 Calling an Article V Convention for proposing a Fiscal Responsibility 
 Amendment to the United States Constitution and stipulating 
 ratification by a vote of We the People, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 February 24, 2025

Mr. Arrington submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
 referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

 CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 Calling an Article V Convention for proposing a Fiscal Responsibility 
 Amendment to the United States Constitution and stipulating 
 ratification by a vote of We the People, and for other purposes.

Whereas Article V of the Constitution of the United States states that ``The 
 Congress . . . on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of 
 the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments'' 
 to the Constitution;
Whereas congressional and State records of plenary applications for amendments 
 on any subject and applications for the single subject of Inflation-
 fighting Fiscal Responsibility Amendments compiled by the Article V 
 Library counts Nevada's ``continuing'' application, reported February 8, 
 1979, in the Congressional Record, as the 34th thus achieving the ``two 
 thirds'' congressional mandate to call the Convention for proposing 
 amendments; congressional records reported 39 applications by the end of 
 1979, 40 in 1983, and 42 total applications over time;
Whereas Alexander Hamilton in Federalist 85 stated that ``The Congress `shall 
 call a Convention'. Nothing in this particular is left to the discretion 
 of that body'';
Whereas, beginning in 1979, when Congress appears to have failed in its 
 constitutional duty to count applications and call a ``Convention for 
 proposing Amendments'', the Nation's debt has increased to more than $36 
 trillion from $860 billion, while the value of the dollar has declined 
 by over 80 percent;
Whereas the Constitution was ratified by Convention delegates ``chosen in each 
 State by the People thereof'', and the 21st Amendment, repealing 
 Prohibition, was ratified in 1933 by a vote of the people for Yes-
 pledged delegates in 38 of 39 State Conventions; and
Whereas the Supreme Court's unanimous opinion in Chiafalo v. Washington stated: 
 ``electors . . . have no ground for reversing the vote of millions of 
 its citizens. That direction accords with the Constitution--as well as 
 with the trust of the Nation that here, We the People rule.'': Now, 
 therefore, be it
 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That

SECTION 1. CALL FOR ARTICLE V CONVENTION OF STATES.

    (a) In General.--

    (1) Call for convention; timing.--As provided in Article V 
 of the Constitution of the United States, and except as 
 provided in paragraph

    (2) , Congress hereby calls a Convention 
 for proposing amendments to the Constitution of the United 
 States for a date and place to be determined on calling the 
 Convention.

    (2) Exception.--Paragraph

    (1) does not apply if, prior to 
 the expiration of the 60-day period which begins on the date of 
 the adoption of this concurrent resolution--
        (A) the House Clerk provides a written report 
 stating there have never been unrescinded and 
 ``continuing'' applications for a Convention to propose 
 amendments from at least two-thirds

    (34) of the States 
 on any national issues

    (plenary) plus the single issue 
 of fiscal responsibility; and
        (B) the House Clerk includes in the report detailed 
 findings for each State.

    (b) Ratification of Amendments by States.--Each proposed amendment 
at the Convention for proposing amendments called under this section 
shall be ratified by a vote of We the People in three-quarters

    (38) of 
the States via State Convention delegates who shall ``have no ground 
for reversing the vote of millions of its citizens'' (Chiafalo v. 
Washington).

SEC. 2. TRANSMISSION TO ADMINISTRATOR OF GENERAL SERVICES.

 A copy of this concurrent resolution shall be transmitted to the 
Administrator of General Services for submission to the legislatures of 
the several States.
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