Next Steps, State Declaration, Article V

We are counting on state legislators to provide the leadership to carry this program forward!

For those states with active applications on file, their next step will be to gain the support of their current legislatures and execute the Declaration that follows.

A few states will be asked to approve a new application.

We the People must pledge our support to these “first responders” in their noble mission to save the republic.

Documents

The following documents are provided for your use.

• State Declaration in support of a Constitutional Convention to Consider Amendments to the Constitution

• Text of Article V of the Constitution

With respect to a Convention of States

to Consider Amendments to the U.S. Constitution:

Declaration of the State of­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­________________

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We, the undersigned legislative leaders of this state, pursuant to the affirmative actions taken by our respective legislative bodies and acting on behalf of our state, do hereby declare our commitment to convene a convention of states under Article V of the U.S. Constitution.  Recommendations for amendments that come from such convention, if any, shall then be submitted to the states for their consideration and shall be added to the Constitution if three-fourths of the states ratify them.

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In 1776, our forebears declared that the self-evident and inalienable rights of the People were “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” and these rights justified the separation of the Colonies from England.  In 1788, the People created a new and independent republic by adopting a Constitution that detailed methods for preserving these rights.

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Today, forces not in effect in 1788 have evolved that have impacted our rights and are increasingly diminishing them.  Among those forces are political parties vying for power, narrow vested interests seeking advantages through governmental interventions, political careerism and ambitions of government officials, and a lack of appreciation for the role of freedom and its fragility in our society.  As a result, the structure of government created by the Constitution has been severely damaged and our federal government is dysfunctional.  The fundamental institutions of our democracy, such as respectful debate of issues while seeking the best possible outcomes, are no longer in evidence.  We are at a dead end, and the People are watching, waiting, and hoping for their elected officials to perceive our true state of affairs and begin to take constructive steps to save the republic and our way of life.

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When we look back, we see that those who manage our federal government have violated their sacred trust to put the nation’s interests above their own, mismanaged the finances of the nation, misled the people as to the truth of our national condition, imposed obligations on the states without their consent and created unaccountable agencies which undermine the rule of law.  We see that a noble pursuit of the country’s best interests has been replaced by the pursuit of power that, unless checked, will eventually end in tyranny.  History is replete with such examples. 

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When we look forward, we see a shift away from classic democratic decision-making, moving it from the many to the few, thereby further diminishing the benefits of the Constitution’s separation of powers and federalism.  We see our inability to avoid the polarization that impedes rational, thoughtful decisions.  We see continued struggles under the delusion that our current track is rational and sustainable. 

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Article V of the Constitution allows the People, through their legislatures, to recommend reforms to the processes of government that will repair the republic and preserve our inalienable rights to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”  The first step in this work of repair is to convene a convention of states to consider amendments to the Constitution, and it is to this convention that we pledge our honest efforts.

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Signed for the State of __________________________ , this  ______ day of _________________, 20____.

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For the Senate: ____________________________________________________________________

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For the  House of Representatives: ___________________________________________________

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The Constitution, Article V

The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two-thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this 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; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.