Federalism

ALEC Reaffirms Support for Article V Initiatives

ALEC leadership reached out to both the U.S. House and Senate Committees on the Judiciary to reaffirm support for an Article V convention for proposing amendments as a way to promote federal fiscal restraint. The text of the letter sent to House Chairman Bob Goodlatte (VA) is below.

February 10, 2016

Dear Chairman Goodlatte:

Our American Founders included a method for the states to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution directly. This is called the state application and convention process and is commonly referred to as Article V. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) with nearly 2,000 state legislator members has long championed this powerful tool to rein in government overreach and offers a Handbook for State Lawmakers and model policy to support the Article V process. ALEC has provided a forum for Federalism efforts, most critically, Article V efforts, to flourish.

ALEC maintains model policy on three, complementary approaches to Article V that are under active consideration at the state and federal level.

  • Application for a Convention of the States under Article V of the U.S. Constitution
  • Compact for America Balanced Budget Amendment
  • Resolution for a Federal Balanced Budget Amendment

ALEC stands behind all three of the above model policies and with this letter underscores our equal and unequivocal support for each. Each approach has merit and each is a constitutionally appropriate way to address government overreach.

We would also like to reach out to you to offer our expertise on Article V and other state sovereignty initiatives to you. If we can assist your efforts do not hesitate to contact us. Know that we are ready and willing to facilitate the direct dialogue between you and the state legislators that count themselves as ALEC members.

Respectfully,

Senator Leah Vukmir (WI)/2016 National Chairman/American Legislative Exchange Council

Speaker Linda Upmeyer (IA)/Chairman/ALEC Center to Restore the Balance of Government

Lisa B. Nelson/Chief Executive Officer/American Legislative Exchange Council

cc:           Members of the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary


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