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SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 1
P5 3lr1604
SJ 8/22 – EHE CF 3lr1611
By: Senators Ready, Bailey, Gallion, Hershey, McKay, and Salling
Introduced and read first time: February 6, 2023
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
A Senate Joint Resolution concerning 1
United States Constitution – Amendments Convention – Limitations on Federal 2
Power 3
FOR the purpose of applying to the U.S. Congress for an amendments convention called 4
under Article V of the U.S. Constitution, on the application of the legislatures of 5
two–thirds of the several states, to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution 6
that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and 7
jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for officials of the 8
federal government and for the members of the U.S. Congress; and generally relating 9
to an application to Congress for a convention to propose amendments to the U.S. 10
Constitution. 11
WHEREAS, Executive orders by the President of the United States have become a 12
vehicle through which the President may overstep the limits of constitutional authority; 13
and 14
WHEREAS, The concentration of power at the federal level has had the effect of 15
making federal officials less responsive to the will of the people and more readily influenced 16
by lobbyists, wealthy corporations, and special interests in Washington, D.C.; and 17
WHEREAS, Much of federal law is now enacted by federal bureaucrats who were 18
never chosen by the people and have no accountability to the people; and 19
WHEREAS, Policy decisions made at the state level tend to be more responsive to 20
the needs and desires of the people; and 21
WHEREAS, The federal government has created a crushing national debt through 22
improper and imprudent spending; and 23
WHEREAS, The federal government has invaded the legitimate roles of the states 24
through the manipulative process of federal mandates, most of which are unfunded to a 25
great extent; and 26 2 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 1
WHEREAS, The states have the ability to restore the responsiveness of government 1
to the people and to restrain abuses of federal power by proposing amendments to the 2
Constitution of the United States through a limited Convention of the States under Article 3
V of the U.S. Constitution; now, therefore, be it 4
RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, That, as provided 5
in Article V of the U.S. Constitution, the General Assembly of Maryland respectfully applies 6
to the U.S. Congress for an amendments convention to be called as soon as two–thirds of 7
the several states have applied for a convention, for the purpose of proposing amendments 8
to the U.S. Constitution that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the 9
power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for officials 10
of the federal government and for the members of the U.S. Congress; and be it further 11
RESOLVED, That delegates to the convention from Maryland may not propose 12
amendments that do not have the primary goals of addressing the goals listed in this Joint 13
Resolution; and be it further 14
RESOLVED, That this application constitutes a continuing application in 15
accordance with Article V of the U.S. Constitution until at least two–thirds of the 16
legislatures of the several states have made application for an equivalently limited 17
amendments convention; and be it further 18
RESOLVED, That certified copies of this Joint Resolution be sent by the Secretary 19
of State to: 20
(1) the Honorable Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, 21
President of the United States Senate, Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510; 22
the Honorable Patty Murray, President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, 154 23
Russell Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510; and the Honorable Kevin McCarthy, 24
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, 2468 Rayburn House Office 25
Building, Washington, D.C. 20515; 26
(2) the Maryland Congressional Delegation: Senators Benjamin L. Cardin 27
and Christopher Van Hollen, Jr., Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510; and 28
Representatives Andrew P. Harris, C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger III, John P. Sarbanes, 29
Glenn F. Ivey, Steny Hamilton Hoyer, David J. Trone, Kweisi Mfume, and Jamie Raskin, 30
House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515; 31
(3) the Honorable Debra Steidel Wall, Acting Archivist of the United 32
States, National Archives and Records Administration, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., 33
Washington, D.C. 20408; and 34
(4) the Honorable Sonceria Berry, Secretary of the United States Senate, 35
United States Capitol Building, Suite S–312, Washington, D.C. 20510; the Honorable 36
Elizabeth MacDonough, Parliamentarian of the United States Senate, United States 37
Capitol Building, Room H–209, Washington, D.C. 20510; the Honorable Cheryl L. Johnson, 38 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 1 3
Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, Suite H–154, United States Capitol 1
Building, Washington, D.C. 20515; and the Honorable Jason Smith, Parliamentarian of the 2
United States House of Representatives, Room H–209, United States Capitol Building, 3
Washington, D.C. 20515, requesting that they publish this Joint Resolution in the 4
Congressional Record and list this application in the official tally of state legislative 5
applications for a convention of the states under Article V of the U.S. Constitution; and be 6
it further 7
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State is directed to send copies of this Joint 8
Resolution to the presiding officers of both Houses of the legislature of each of the several 9
states, with the request that it be circulated among leaders in the legislative branch of the 10
state governments; and with the further request that each of the states join in requesting 11
the U.S. Congress to call an amendments convention for the purpose of initiating a proposal 12
to amend the U.S. Constitution as described in this Joint Resolution. 13