Convention of States Project is gaining momentum
The Convention of States Project holds meetings in House District 5 (comprised of Camp, Morris, Rains, Titus, Wood, and part of Smith counties) each month. On Saturday, May 8, the monthly meeting will be hosted by Debby Efurd in Camp County (11 a.m. - 1 p.m.). Future meetings are rotated to the other counties within House District 5.
Have you heard of Convention of States? The Convention of States Project is a national effort to call a convention under Article V of the United States Constitution, restricted to proposing amendments that will impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit its power and jurisdiction, and impose term limits on its officials and members of Congress.
Since the Project launched in 2013, it has grown to over 4.5 million supporters nationwide, with petition signers in every single state house district across America and actively working in all fifty states to pass the Convention of States application. There are hundreds of state and federal senators and representatives, governors (i.e., Greg Abbott, and Ron DeSantis), state party leaders (Allen West), constitutional scholars, men of faith (Dr. James Dobson, Mike Huckabee), and historians (Eric Metaxas and David Barton) who have endorsed Convention of States. Many Texas representatives, including our own State Representative Cole Hefner, State Senator Bryan Hughes, and U.S. Representative Pat Fallon, support Convention of States. The following are answers to questions you may have.
What is a Convention of States? It is a meeting initiated by the state legislatures under Article V of the Constitution for the express purpose of proposing amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Thirty-four state legislatures must pass a resolution applying for a convention of states dealing with the same subject matter. As of today, 15 states (Texas having passed in 2017) have passed the COS resolution; 8 states have passed in one chamber, and 12 states have active legislation this year. Support for a Convention of States is growing daily and rapidly.
Can Congress block a Convention of States? No. Once 34 states apply for a convention to propose amendments on the same issue, Article V of the Constitution requires Congress to name the place and the time for the convention.
If Article V says Congress “calls” the Convention, does that mean it controls the convention and chooses the delegates? No. Once 34 states apply, Congress has no discretion whether to call a convention and no control over the delegates. States are free to develop their own selection processes for choosing their delegates. Delegates discuss and propose amendment proposals that fit the topic framed by the 34 state resolutions that triggered the convention. Each state gets one vote. Thirty-eight states must ratify any proposed amendments sent back to the states by the convention.
How do we know that a Convention of States will work? Interstate conventions were common during the foundation of our nation; the basic procedures and rules for such conventions were uniform. We’re actually getting back to our roots.
Will we still support our candidates of choice and issues important to us? Yes, by all means. The American people need quality elected officials that represent our values under a government structure that holds them accountable. Here in Texas, Convention of States has defined three legislative priorities this session – (1) ban taxpayer-funded lobbying, (2) election integrity, and (3) protecting the Texas Energy grid. Every citizen is encouraged to support legislative issues important to them on State and Federal levels (i.e. 2nd amendment rights, pro-life, border security, to name a few).
Is Convention of States safe? Absolutely! Article V includes numerous safeguards that protect the U.S. Constitution and ensures that only widely approved amendments are adopted. The strongest safeguard? Any amendment proposed by the Convention goes through the exact same ratification process as amendments proposed by Congress. It must be approved by 38 states. That means if 13 states vote no, the answer is no. It doesn’t get much safer than that!
So what is the plan? The goal is to call for a convention to propose amendments on particular subjects, rather than a particular amendment – those subjects are (1) limiting Federal power, (2) mandating fiscal responsibility, and (3) imposing term limits. The mission is to grow the grassroots army to implement an Article V convention. We now have over 4.5 million supporters and growing exponentially, as well as signed petitions in 100% of legislative districts across America, so the Convention of States grassroots army is the largest Article V movement in history.
Every state is divided by house districts. Each house district has a District Captain with teams of volunteers supporting the Convention of States goals and mission within the state. Susan Hamilton is the District Captain for House District 5 comprised of Camp, Morris, Rains, Titus, Wood and part of Smith counties.
If you would like to learn first-hand about Convention of States, plan to attend the May 8 District meeting. For more information on Convention of States Project, see www.conventionofstates.com or contact Debby Efurd for meeting details (Deborah.Efurd@cosaction.com).