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The National Federalism Commission (NFC) has been working with the US House Judiciary Committee to review and analyze House records on specific-topic state applications for an amending convention. A convention of this kind would review and debate potential single-subject amendments to the US Constitution. (This would not be a wholesale rewrite of the Constitution.)
The preamble to our Constitution says, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union…” Over our 250-year history as a nation there have been 27 amendments to the Constitution to make us “a more perfect union.” These amendments include women’s suffrage, the abolition of slavery, and many others.
The role of the NFC (a nonpartisan government entity) is to help ensure that the process of governance works well, and to represent the states to our federal counterparts.
Current Status: There are many topic-specific applications which have been submitted to Congress by the states; and when two-thirds of the states (currently 34) call for an amending convention, the Constitution requires Congress to call that convention. However, not until 2015 did the House have a consistent rule on how these applications were to be tracked via the House Judiciary Committee. In January 2025, the Committee, realizing that their records were inadequate, entered into an agreement with the NFC to bring these vital records up to date. It was agreed that we would first focus on fiscal integrity applications over the past 250 years.
Over the past eight months, hundreds of NFC staff hours were dedicated to this project to examine Judiciary Committee records, compare them to state records, and to bring them up to date. On September 17, 2025, a news conference was called by House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington to make public the results of the NFC Analysis on State Fiscal applications. Many refer to this study as historic.
Results:
· The NFC was able to present to the Judiciary Committee all missing documents needed to bring their records up to date.
· The results also showed how woefully Congress has failed the states over the last 46 years.
Details:
· The 34-state application threshold was met in 1979 with 30 specific fiscal integrity applications and nine plenary* (that is, any topic) applications.
· The 34-state threshold continued to be met for the next 25 years.
· The 34-state threshold was met again in 2016-2017…only eight years ago.
· Each time, Congress failed to act, even though the Constitutional requirement is that “Congress…on the Application of the Legislatures of two-thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing amendments…” [emphasis mine]
· Now is the time for the states to decide to ignore, tolerate, or correct this affront to their authority and role in our checks-and-balances system of federalism.
Personally, I think correction is essential…because if Congress ignores the clear authority of the states to propose constitutional amendments, they will thwart the exercise of other State powers as well. This has nothing to do with whether or not one supports fiscal integrity (or any other topic). This has to do with the integrity of the checks-and-balances system provided for in our Constitution.
For your information and use:
· The analytical results of this historic review
· My written remarks at the September 17th news conference
· The full video of the news conference, beginning with remarks by House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington
Let’s keep working together for the good of our states, our nation, and our citizens! I welcome your thoughts and comments. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve you.
*Editor’s note: The State Legislators Article V Caucus editorial team prefers “general” to “plenary” when describing an Article V application that does not stipulate a specific topic. “Plenary” can mean “unlimited powers” and/or “absolute authority,” neither of which is true of a convention for proposing amendments. A convention called under the authority of Article V is limited to proposing amendments, and any amendment proposed at an Article V Convention must be ratified by 3/4 of the states.
State legislators who would like to be a part of the work of the National Federalism Commission may contact Executive Director W. Bruce Lee.
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