IV 119THCONGRESS 1 STSESSION H. CON. RES. 15 Calling an Article V Convention for proposing a Fiscal Responsibility Amend- ment to the United States Constitution and stipulating ratification by a vote of We the People, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY24, 2025 Mr. A RRINGTONsubmitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Calling an Article V Convention for proposing a Fiscal Re- sponsibility Amendment to the United States Constitu- tion 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 Con- stitution; Whereas congressional and State records of plenary applica- tions for amendments on any subject and applications for the single subject of Inflation-fighting Fiscal Responsi- bility Amendments compiled by the Article V Library counts Nevada’s ‘‘continuing’’ application, reported Feb- VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:43 Feb 25, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC15.IH HC15 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HCON 15 IH ruary 8, 1979, in the Congressional Record, as the 34th thus achieving the ‘‘two thirds’’ congressional mandate to call the Convention for proposing amendments; congres- sional records reported 39 applications by the end of 1979, 40 in 1983, and 42 total applications over time; Whereas Alexander Hamilton in Federalist 85 stated that ‘‘The Congress ‘shall call a Convention’. Nothing in this particular is left to the discretion of that body’’; Whereas, beginning in 1979, when Congress appears to have failed in its constitutional duty to count applications and call a ‘‘Convention for proposing Amendments’’, the Na- tion’s debt has increased to more than $36 trillion from $860 billion, while the value of the dollar has declined by over 80 percent; Whereas the Constitution was ratified by Convention dele- gates ‘‘chosen in each State by the People thereof’’, and the 21st Amendment, repealing Prohibition, was ratified in 1933 by a vote of the people for Yes-pledged delegates in 38 of 39 State Conventions; and Whereas the Supreme Court’s unanimous opinion in Chiafalo v. Washington stated: ‘‘electors . . . have no ground for reversing the vote of millions of its citizens. That direc- tion accords with the Constitution—as well as with the trust of the Nation that here, We the People rule.’’: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 1 concurring), That 2 SECTION 1. CALL FOR ARTICLE V CONVENTION OF STATES. 3 (a) I NGENERAL.— 4 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:17 Feb 25, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC15.IH HC15 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HCON 15 IH (1) CALL FOR CONVENTION ; TIMING.—As pro-1 vided in Article V of the Constitution of the United 2 States, and except as provided in paragraph (2), 3 Congress hereby calls a Convention for proposing 4 amendments to the Constitution of the United 5 States for a date and place to be determined on call-6 ing the Convention. 7 (2) E XCEPTION.—Paragraph (1) does not apply 8 if, prior to the expiration of the 60-day period which 9 begins on the date of the adoption of this concurrent 10 resolution— 11 (A) the House Clerk provides a written re-12 port stating there have never been unrescinded 13 and ‘‘continuing’’ applications for a Convention 14 to propose amendments from at least two-thirds 15 (34) of the States on any national issues (ple-16 nary) plus the single issue of fiscal responsi-17 bility; and 18 (B) the House Clerk includes in the report 19 detailed findings for each State. 20 (b) R ATIFICATION OFAMENDMENTS BY STATES.— 21 Each proposed amendment at the Convention for pro-22 posing amendments called under this section shall be rati-23 fied by a vote of We the People in three-quarters (38) of 24 the States via State Convention delegates who shall ‘‘have 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:43 Feb 25, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC15.IH HC15 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HCON 15 IH no ground for reversing the vote of millions of its citizens’’ 1 (Chiafalo v. Washington). 2 SEC. 2. TRANSMISSION TO ADMINISTRATOR OF GENERAL 3 SERVICES. 4 A copy of this concurrent resolution shall be trans-5 mitted to the Administrator of General Services for sub-6 mission to the legislatures of the several States. 7 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:43 Feb 25, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HC15.IH HC15 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB