The Arizona House of Representatives last Thursday approved by a 32 to 28 vote House Concurrent Resolution 2014, an application for an Article V convention backed by the Balanced Budget Amendment Task Force. The application calls for a convention solely for the purpose of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
Arizona could become the 28th state to fully enact a resolution backed by the Balanced Budget Amendment Task Force (BBATF). Similar proposals are being considered in Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Presidential candidate Ted Cruz (R) has signed a pledge supporting the Article V resolution backed by BBATF. The Heartland Institute’s Center on Constitutional Reform supports using Article V to amend the U.S. Constitution to rein in the power of the national government, but it endorses no single proposal.
The following statements from experts at The Heartland Institute – a free-market think tank – may be used for attribution. For more comments, refer to the contact information below. To book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Director of Communications Jim Lakely at [email protected] and 312/377-4000.
“With our national debt at $19 trillion, the Arizona House of Representatives was not going to wait for a do-nothing Congress to balance the budget of the national government. Arizona has been a leader for a long time in demanding reform from the national government.
“The House’s decision to approve an application gives the state Senate a golden opportunity to become the 28th state to call for a balanced budget requirement to the Constitution of the United States.”
Kyle Maichle
Project Manager, Constitutional Reform
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
“Just as the Constitution assures Americans their right to vote, speak freely, and run for office, so it also assures Americans the ability to control their federal government. A key part of the Constitution empowers the people, acting through their state legislatures, to enact further constitutional restraints on Washington, DC.
“The Arizona House of Representatives has now shown that it understands the opportunity – and the duty – the Constitution gives us.”
Rob Natelson
Retired Law Professor and Director of the Article V Information Center
The Independence Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
“With the passage of an Article V balanced budget amendment resolution by the Arizona House, we are one step closer to convening a single subject convention, which is the quickest and safest way for the states to exercise their Article V powers. Twenty-seven states have passed resolutions and only seven more are needed. We hope the Senate will at least give its members a chance to vote on this important piece of legislation.”
David Guldenschuh
Policy Advisor for Constitutional Reform
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
The Heartland Institute is a 32-year-old national nonprofit organization headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000.
David Guldenschuh is a leader in the nationwide movement of states to call a convention of states pursuant to Article V of the U.S.
