SLS 16RS-393 ORIGINAL 2016 Regular Session SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 52 BY SENATORS CLAITOR, CORTEZ, FANNIN, HEWITT, LONG, MIZELL, MORRISH, PEACOCK, PERRY, RISER AND WALSWORTH CONSTITUTION CONVENTION. Calls for convention to amend United States Constitution. 1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION 2 To memorialize the United States Congress to call a constitutional convention for the 3 purpose of proposing amendments to limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal 4 government, impose fiscal restraints upon its activities, and limit the terms of office 5 that may be served by its officials and by members of Congress. 6 WHEREAS, the powers of the federal government are limited to those powers 7 enumerated in the United States Constitution; and 8 WHEREAS, as set forth in provisions such as the Second, Fourth, and Fifth 9 Amendments of the Bill of Rights concerning individual freedom and protections, and the 10 Tenth and Eleventh Amendments concerning the powers of the states, the U.S. Constitution 11 was intended to include and specifically provide constraints upon the powers of the federal 12 government and to further provide for the sovereign powers of the states; and 13 WHEREAS, despite such provisions a continuing crisis has been created by the rise 14 and growth of unchecked power in all branches of the federal government; and 15 WHEREAS, such unchecked power, and the national debt created by its exercise, 16 adversely affects every state and every citizen of our nation now and into the foreseeable 17 future; and 18 Page 1 of 2 SCR NO. 52 SLS 16RS-393 ORIGINAL 1 WHEREAS, such continuing crisis can be resolved only through amendment to the 2 United States Constitution, in order to clarify the powers, duties, and limitations of the 3 federal government and to clearly delineate the sovereign powers of the states that cannot 4 be abridged by the unrestrained exercise of federal powers. 5 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby 6 memorialize and apply to the United States Congress for the calling of a convention of the 7 states limited to proposing amendments to the U.S. Constitution to limit the power and 8 jurisdiction of the federal government, impose fiscal restraints upon its activities, and limit 9 the terms of office that may be served by its officials and by members of Congress. 10 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the 11 President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the United States House of 12 Representatives, to each member of the Louisiana congressional delegation, and to the 13 presiding officers of each of the legislative houses in the several states, requesting their 14 cooperation. 15 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution shall constitute a continuing 16 application in accordance with Article V of the United States Constitution until the 17 legislatures of at least two-thirds of the several states have made application for a similar 18 convention pursuant to Article V. The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Jerry G. Jones. DIGEST SCR 52 Original 2016 Regular Session Claitor Proposed resolution memorializes and applies to the United States Congress for the calling of a convention of the states limited to proposing amendments to the U.S. Constitution to limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, impose fiscal restraints upon its activities, and limit the terms of office that may be served by its officials and by members of Congress. Page 2 of 2