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A JOINT RESOLUTION
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applying to the Congress of the United States to call a convention |
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to propose amendments to the United States Constitution to provide |
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for congressional term limits, the line-item veto, a balanced |
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federal budget, a limit on federal debt, and the repeal of federal |
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law by two-thirds of the several states. |
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WHEREAS, The founders of the United States did not intend the |
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political power of the federal government to become vested in a |
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permanent ruling class; and |
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WHEREAS, The absence of a reasonable limitation on the time |
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any one individual may serve as either a representative or senator |
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in the Congress of the United States creates an overwhelming |
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advantage in incumbency and causes members of Congress to unduly |
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focus on soliciting contributions for future political campaigns, |
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to the damage of the republic; and |
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WHEREAS, The advantages of incumbency have manifested |
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themselves in the establishment of a ruling class that disdains |
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fiscal discipline to the long-term detriment of the economy of the |
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United States and each of the several states; and |
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WHEREAS, Congress routinely ignores the limitations placed |
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on its powers and authority by the Tenth Amendment to the United |
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States Constitution and assumes a level of power and authority |
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nearly unchecked and contrary to the intentions of the founders; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The United States Constitution contains no |
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provision setting congressional term limits, granting the |
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president the power to veto line-item expenditures, requiring a |
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balanced federal budget, providing a limit on the indebtedness of |
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the federal government, or permitting the repeal of federal law by |
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the several states; and |
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WHEREAS, Article V of the United States Constitution provides |
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that on application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the |
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several states Congress shall call a convention for proposing |
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amendments to the constitution; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 82nd Texas Legislature apply to Congress |
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to call a convention under Article V of the United States |
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Constitution for the exclusive purpose of proposing amendments to |
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the constitution to provide for: |
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(1) Limiting the length of time one individual may |
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serve in elected office in the United States Congress to no more |
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than two elected terms as senator and no more than six elected terms |
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as representative, including the further limitation that an |
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individual elected or appointed to fill more than half of a |
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remaining term in the senate or house shall only be eligible to be |
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elected to one and five terms, respectively, as in the following |
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suggested language: |
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"No person shall be elected to the Senate of the United States |
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more than twice, and no person who has held the office of Senator |
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for more than three years of a term to which some other person was |
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elected Senator shall be elected to a full term of the office of |
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Senator more than once; further, no person who has held the office |
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of Senator for more than nine years shall be eligible for |
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appointment or election to that office to complete the term of |
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another person." |
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"No person shall be elected to the United States House of |
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Representatives more than six times, and no person who has held the |
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office of Representative for more than one year of a term to which |
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some other person was elected Representative shall be elected to a |
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full term of the office of Representative more than five times; |
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further, no person who has held the office of Representative for |
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more than eleven years shall be eligible for election to that office |
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to complete the term of another person."; |
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(2) Granting the president of the United States the |
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authority to strike from proposed legislation any provision that |
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authorizes funding the president determines to be unnecessary, |
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commonly known as the line-item veto, which may be overridden by |
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Congress in the same manner as other vetoed legislation, as in the |
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following suggested language: |
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"The President may approve any appropriation and disapprove |
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any other appropriation in the same bill. When the President |
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disapproves an appropriation in a bill, the President shall |
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designate the appropriation disapproved when signing the bill and |
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shall return a copy of the disapproved appropriation, with a |
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statement of objections, to the house of Congress from which the |
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bill originated. The procedure to override the President's |
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disapproval of an appropriation is the same as that provided in |
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Article I, Section 7, for bills disapproved by the President."; |
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(3) Requiring the annual budget of the federal |
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government to be balanced, except in time of national emergency as |
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authorized by a three-quarters majority of both houses of Congress, |
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as in the following suggested language: |
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"No appropriation of funds may be approved by Congress in a |
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fiscal year if the total amount of all funds appropriated in bills |
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previously passed in the fiscal year equals or exceeds the total |
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revenue received by the United States government in the preceding |
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fiscal year, unless both the House and the Senate by a vote of not |
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less than three-quarters of the members of each house declare an |
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emergency requiring such expenditures."; |
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(4) Prohibiting the federal government from incurring |
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or guaranteeing debt, including the indebtedness of entities other |
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than the federal government that are guaranteed by the United |
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States, greater than a specified limit except in time of national |
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emergency as authorized by a three-quarters majority of both houses |
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of Congress, as in the following suggested language: |
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"The total outstanding debt of the United States government |
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may not exceed the amount of debt outstanding as of the end of the |
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fiscal year ending September 30, 2011, unless both the House and the |
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Senate by a vote of not less than three-quarters of the members of |
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each house declare an emergency requiring greater indebtedness. |
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The total outstanding debt of entities other than the United States |
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government that the United States guarantees as to repayment of |
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principal or interest may not exceed the amount of outstanding debt |
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so guaranteed by the United States government as of September 30, |
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2011, unless both the House and the Senate by a vote of not less than |
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three-quarters of the members of each house declare an emergency |
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requiring increased guarantees of such indebtedness."; and |
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(5) Permitting the repeal of a federal law by vote of |
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the legislatures of two-thirds of the several states; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That a convention called to propose amendments to |
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the United States Constitution be limited to the purposes of |
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proposing amendments to provide for congressional term limits, the |
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line-item veto, a balanced federal budget, a limit on federal debt, |
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and the repeal of federal law by the several states, as well as the |
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organization and operation of the convention; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the speaker of the House of Representatives and the president of the |
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Senate of the Congress of the United States, and to all members of |
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the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that this |
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resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as an |
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application to Congress for a convention to propose amendments to |
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the United States Constitution to provide for congressional term |
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limits, the line-item veto, a balanced federal budget, a limit on |
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federal debt, and the repeal of federal law by the several states; |
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and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the secretaries of state and to the |
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presiding officers of the legislatures of the several states with |
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the request that they join this state in applying to Congress for a |
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convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution |
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to provide for congressional term limits, the line-item veto, a |
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balanced federal budget, a limit on federal debt, and the repeal of |
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federal law by the several states. |