On April 4, nearly 100 Floridians went to the capitol in Tallahassee for a rally in support of Convention of States Action. Activists from around the state gathered to further their goal to call a convention of the states to propose constitutional amendments to rein in the out-of-control federal government. In the process, the people involved in this effort have created what they call the largest grassroots army in America’s history with a focus on returning America to its founding principle of self-governance.
State Director Denah Butts left the rally energized, saying, “There is no doubt that Florida is poised to lead the convention as we have many friends in our Capitol. And we spoke with some legislators about exactly that.”
Volunteers for Convention of States Florida collected petitions, met with legislators, and handed out informational packets for every representative and senator — 120 in all. After that, volunteers embarked on a short walk to the Vietnam Memorial and the World War II Memorial to lay a wreath and express their gratitude for the liberties enjoyed by all Americans. The day concluded with speeches encouraging volunteers to stay engaged in the long fight.
An outgrowth of the Tea Party Movement, Convention of States Action proposes to call all fifty states together in a convention, in which commissioners from every state will propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Each state must apply for a convention on similar topics in order for it to proceed.
Article V of the Constitution allows two methods of proposing amendments: via Congress or via a convention of the states. Two-thirds of the states must apply for a convention on a similar topic, and any proposed amendments face the same ratification process as those proposed via the congressional route. Convention of States Action has three main topics for potential amendments: a balanced budget amendment, term limits on all federal officials, and imposing badly needed fiscal restraints on the federal government.
Florida submitted its application to Congress in 2014 after the resolution passed the legislature (no signature by the governor required). Because of Florida’s term limits law that restricts representatives and senators to eight years, volunteers have continually engaged with their legislators to educate them about the powers granted them by Article V. They held several legislator meetings while in Tallahassee and met with a significant amount of support.
The Florida team has more than just getting to a convention in mind. Once the convention is called, states will have several tasks in front of them. Volunteers engaged with their legislators to remind them of the need to have a process to choose commissioners who will attend the convention and to plan ahead for the amendments to propose at the convention. The Florida team has positioned itself to provide leadership and guidance throughout the process of calling and completing a convention.
As the national Convention of States organization says, this may be the only solution as big as the problem, as we face an ever more out-of-control and unrepresentative federal government.
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