The Indiana House of Representatives approved Senate Joint Resolution 14 – an application for an Article V convention backed by Convention of States – on Monday evening by a vote of 63 to 31. The application would call for a convention to enact a federal balanced budget amendment, impose term limits on members of Congress, and reduce federal regulations. Convention of States is a project of Citizens for Self-Governance, an organization promoting citizen involvement in government.
Indiana is now the sixth state to fully enact a resolution backed by Convention of States. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and former presidential candidate Jeb Bush recently endorsed Convention of States. 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 constitutional reform 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 Donald Kendal, New Media Specialist, The Heartland Institute, at [email protected] or 312/377-4000.
“The Indiana House of Representatives proved again on Monday night that they are a national leader in the movement to call for an Article V convention. The House’s approval of the Convention of States proposal sent a message to Washington politicians that the time for doing nothing is over.
“The Convention of States proposal contains constitutional amendments that are popular with the people of Indiana, including a balanced budget requirement and imposing term limits on members of Congress. Other states should look to Indiana as the gold standard in constitutional reform.”
Kyle Maichle
Project Manager, Constitutional Reform
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
“The Indiana House of Representatives should be commended for taking action to rein in an out-of-control national government. Convention of States finally forces our national government to live up to the same balanced budget requirement that constrains 49 states and imposes term limits on Congress.
“Hoosiers of various political persuasions support these amendments because these are the best policy prescriptions for getting our country back on track.”
David Guldenschuh
Policy Advisor for Constitutional Reform
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
“The national debt – a measure of all outstanding debt owed by Washington, DC, plus the interest on that debt – is more than $19 trillion, or about $159,034 per taxpayer.
“Lawmakers in the Indiana House of Representatives have done what lawmakers in DC are unwilling to do: take a real step towards stopping the unethical practice of passing the buck and dumping responsibility for their wasteful spending onto future generations.
“By approving the Convention of States resolution, the Indiana General Assembly is leading the charge towards fiscal responsibility and real reform in our nation.”
Jesse Hathaway
Managing Editor, Budget & Tax News
Research Fellow, 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.
Jesse Hathaway is a policy advisor for budget and tax issues at The Heartland Institute.
