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STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-THREE
_____
JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING APPLICATION TO THE
CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES CALLING A
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION UNDER ARTICLE V OF THE
UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION LIMITED TO PROPOSING AN
AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION TO
REQUIRE A BALANCED FEDERAL BUDGET
WHEREAS,
States, whenever two-thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments
to the United States Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the
several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments that, in either case, shall be
valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the United States Constitution, when ratified by the
legislatures of three-fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three-fourths thereof, as
the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; and
WHEREAS, with each passing year, this nation becomes more deeply in debt as its
expenditures grossly and repeatedly exceed available revenues, so that the public debt now
exceeds hundreds of billions of dollars; and
WHEREAS,
or inability of both the legislative and executive branches of the Federal Government to curtail
spending to conform to available revenues; and
WHEREAS,
special outlays that are neither included in the budget nor subject to the legal public debt limit;
and
WHEREAS,
the budget reflect all federal spending and be in balance; and
WHEREAS,
results from this policy, is the greatest threat that faces our nation, we firmly believe that
constitutional restraint is necessary to bring about the fiscal discipline needed to restore
financial responsibility; and
WHEREAS,
concerning federal expenditures to be vital; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That the Legislature of Maine respectfully applies to the Congress of the
United States, under the provisions of Article V of the United States Constitution, for the
calling of a convention of the states limited to proposing an amendment to the United States
Constitution requiring that, in the absence of a national emergency, the total of all federal
outlays made by the Congress of the United States for any fiscal year may not exceed the total
of all estimated federal revenues for that fiscal year, together with any related and appropriate
fiscal restraints; and be it further Page 2 - 131LR1909(01)
RESOLVED: That this application is to be considered as covering the same subject matter
as the presently outstanding balanced budget applications from other states, including but not
limited to previously adopted applications from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado,
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan,
Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North
Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and
West Virginia; and this application must be aggregated with same for the purpose of attaining
the two-thirds of states necessary to require the calling of a convention for proposing
amendments, but may not be aggregated with any applications on any other subject; and be it
further
RESOLVED: That this application constitutes a continuing application in accordance with
Article V of the United States Constitution until the legislatures of at least two-thirds of the
several states have made applications on the same subject. It supersedes all previous
applications by this Legislature on the same subject; and be it further
RESOLVED: That suitable copies of this resolution, duly authenticated by the Secretary
of State, be transmitted to the Secretary of the Senate and presiding officers of both houses of
the legislatures of each of the several states in the nation, the Speaker and Clerk of the United
States House of Representatives, the President and Secretary of the United States Senate and
each member of the Maine Congressional Delegation.