ATLANTA (July 3, 2014) | Sen. Bill Cowsert (R – Athens) and Rep. Bruce Williamson (R – Monroe) participated in The Assembly of State Legislatures’ most recent meeting on June 12 and 13 at the Indiana State Capitol in Indianapolis. Formerly known as The Mount Vernon Assembly, the bipartisan group of current state legislators met to continue work on establishing rules and regulations for Article V conventions as defined by the United States Constitution. The Assembly of State Legislatures is focused on determining the rules and procedures controlling any future Article V convention for proposing amendments to the Constitution.
Sen. Cowsert was the lead sponsor of SR 371, an application for an Article V convention for the limited purpose of proposing a balanced budget amendment, which passed during the recent legislative session. “One of the most critical issues facing our nation today is the enormous amount of federal debt we have accumulated. We must take action now to force the federal government to limit its reckless spending and operate within a balanced budget. The only way to reach this goal is to have a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. Since Congress is obviously unwilling to propose a balanced budget amendment, it is up to the states to pass one through the Article V process,” said Sen. Cowsert.
Article V of the United States Constitution outlines the process for proposing amendments to the Constitution. Proposed amendments may be submitted to the states for ratification by either a two-thirds supermajority of both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate or by a convention of the states where called for by at least two-thirds of the states. At this time, 24 states have called for a balanced budget convention.
At the June meeting, delegates agreed on some of the procedures by which a national constitutional convention should operate. Those rules include allowing one vote per state, regardless of size or population, and that each state is allowed to independently establish the selection process of its delegates. Delegates will continue to finalize rules and regulations throughout the next several months and hold a follow-up meeting in December 2014 to formally draft language by which any Article V convention would operate.
Sen. Cowsert, Sen. Steve Thompson (D – Marietta) and Rep. Williamson were appointed as the official delegates from Georgia to The Assembly of State Legislators. Sen. Cowsert is a member of the Rules and Procedures committee, and Rep. Williamson is a member of the Planning, Communication and Finance committee. Sen. Thompson is a member of the Steering committee.
“It was an honor to be appointed as the delegate from the Georgia House of Representatives for this incredibly important event. I am excited about the work we’re doing to create a process with formal rules and procedures for a potential convention of states,” said Rep. Williamson.
Rep. Buzz Brockway (R – Lawrenceville), Rep. Andrew Welch (R – McDonough), Rep. Paulette Braddock (R – Powder Springs) and Rep. Timothy Barr (R – Lawrenceville) also attended The Assembly of State Legislatures from Georgia.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 3, 2014
CONTACT
Jennifer Yarber, Director
jennifer.yarber@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028