HCR5008 applies to Congress, under the provisions of Article V of the U.S. Constitution, for a convention to propose a Balanced Budget Amendment.
The Kansas State House of Representatives passed HCR5008 on March 22, 2023 by a vote of 74 to 48. We have assigned pluses to the nays because a so-called “Convention of the States” would not be of “limited” purpose. The vague and contradictory text contained in this joint resolution dangerously permits what Article V of the U.S. Constitution describes as a “Convention for proposing Amendments” or second constitutional convention. Notably, Article V of the U.S. Constitution was designed to correct structural deficiencies in the federal government, not the behavior of its elected officials. HCR5008 should be opposed in favor of less risky, more precise, and immediate solutions that would restore power back to the states and to the people, such as clear-cut proposals in Congress to repeal bad amendments or state nullification of specific unauthorized federal laws.