Bill Text: TX HJR60 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Introduced

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Bill Title: Applying to the Congress of the United States to call a convention to propose an amendment to the United States Constitution to require a balanced federal budget.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-03-03 - Withdrawn from schedule [HJR60 Detail]

Download: Texas-2011-HJR60-Introduced.html

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82R1550 KYF-D
By: Pitts H.J.R. No. 60

A JOINT RESOLUTION
applying to the Congress of the United States to call a convention
to propose an amendment to the United States Constitution to
require a balanced federal budget.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
WHEREAS, The United States Constitution contains no
restriction on the power of the federal government to incur a budget
deficit; and
WHEREAS, Article V of the United States Constitution provides
that on application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the
several states Congress shall call a convention for proposing
amendments to the constitution; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 82nd Texas Legislature apply to Congress
to call a convention under Article V of the United States
Constitution for the exclusive purpose of proposing an amendment to
the constitution providing that except in time of war or other
national emergency the total of all federal appropriations for a
fiscal year may not exceed the total of all estimated federal
revenue for that fiscal year; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That, unless rescinded by a succeeding
legislature, this application by the 82nd Texas Legislature
constitutes a continuing application in accordance with Article V
of the United States Constitution until at least two-thirds of the
legislatures of the several states have applied to Congress to call
a convention to propose an amendment to the constitution to provide
for a balanced federal budget, but if Congress proposes a
constitutional amendment identical in subject matter to that
contained in this resolution, this application is no longer of any
force; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That this application is rescinded in the event
that a convention to propose amendments to the United States
Constitution includes purposes other than providing for a balanced
federal budget; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
the speaker of the House of Representatives and the president of the
Senate of the Congress of the United States, and to all members of
the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that this
resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as an
application to Congress for a convention to propose an amendment to
the United States Constitution to provide for a balanced federal
budget; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
copies of this resolution to the secretaries of state and to the
presiding officers of the legislatures of the several states with
the request that they join this state in applying to Congress for a
convention to propose an amendment to the United States
Constitution to provide for a balanced federal budget.