MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2018 Regular Session

To: Rules

By: Senator(s) Younger

Senate Concurrent Resolution 509

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION APPLYING FOR A UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION ARTICLE V AMENDMENTS CONVENTION SPECIFICALLY RELATING TO THE FEDERAL DEBT AND TO CONGRESSIONAL TERM LIMITS.

     WHEREAS, Article V of the Constitution of the United States provides authority for a Convention to be called by the Congress of the United States for the purpose of proposing Amendments to the Constitution upon application of two-thirds of the Legislatures of the separate states ("Madison Amendments Convention"); and

     WHEREAS, the Legislature of the State of Mississippi favors the proposal and ratification of an Amendment to said Constitution which shall provide that an increase in the federal debt requires approval from a majority of the Legislatures of the separate states; and

     WHEREAS, the Legislature of the State of Mississippi favors the proposal and ratification of an Amendment to said Constitution which shall provide Congressional Term Limits; NOW, THEREFORE,

     BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN:

     SECTION 1.  That, as provided for in Article V of the Constitution of the United States, the Legislature of the State of Mississippi herewith respectfully applies for an Amendments Convention to be called for the purpose of proposing an Amendment which shall provide that an increase in the federal debt requires approval from a majority of the Legislatures of the separate states.

     SECTION 2.  That, as provided for in Article V of the Constitution of the United States, the Legislature of the State of Mississippi herewith respectfully applies for an Amendments Convention to be called for the purpose of proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America to set a limit on the number of terms that a person may be elected as a Member of the United States House of Representatives and to set a limit on the number of terms that a person may be elected as a Member of the United States Senate.

     SECTION 3.  That the Amendments Conventions contemplated by Sections 1 and 2 of this application shall be entirely focused upon and exclusively limited to the subject matter of proposing for ratification Amendment(s) to the Constitution providing that an increase in the federal debt requires approval from a majority of the Legislatures of the separate states, and an Amendment to the Constitution providing for Congressional Term Limits.

     SECTION 4.  This application shall be considered as covering the same subject matter as the applications from other States to Congress to call a Convention (a) placing fiscal limits on the federal debt, or (b) to set a limit on the number of terms that a person may be elected to the House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States and the Senate of the United States; and this application shall be aggregated with same for the purpose of attaining two-thirds of the Legislatures of the several states necessary to require Congress to call a limited Convention on these subjects, but shall not be aggregated with any other applications on any other subject.

     SECTION 5.  This application constitutes a continuing application in accordance with Article V of the Constitution of the United States until at least two-thirds of the Legislatures of the several states have made application for an equivalently limited Amendments Convention.

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a certified copy of this application be transmitted by the Secretary of State, to the President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, to each member of the applicant's delegation to the United States Congress, and to the presiding officers of each house of the several state Legislatures, requesting their cooperation in applying for the Amendments Convention limited to the subject matters contemplated by this application.