Bill

HJR 77

84(R) - 2015
House Committee on State & Federal Power & Responsibility, Select
House Committee on State & Federal Power & Responsibility, Select
Constitution
Federal Government
Federal law
Federal Power
United States Constitution

Vote Recommendation

Yes
  • Positive
  • Positive
  • Positive
  • Positive
  • Positive

Author(s)

Rick Miller

Co-Author(s)

Charles Anderson
Trent Ashby
Cecil Bell Jr.
Dwayne Bohac
Dennis Bonnen
DeWayne Burns
Giovanni Capriglione
John Cyrier
Tony Dale
Gary Elkins
Wayne Faircloth
Allen Fletcher
Dan Flynn
Rick Galindo
Dan Huberty
Jason Isaac
Kyle Kacal
Mark Keough
Phil King
Matt Krause
Lyle Larson
J.M. Lozano
Jim Murphy
John Otto
Dennis Paul
Gilbert Pena
Larry Phillips
Four Price
John Raney
Richard Raymond
Debbie Riddle
Matt Rinaldi
Scott Sanford
Leighton Schubert
Drew Springer
Phil Stephenson
Jonathan Stickland
Scott Turner
James White
Molly White
Paul Workman
John Wray
John Zerwas

Bill Caption

Applying to the Congress of the United States to call a convention under Article V of the United States Constitution for the limited purpose of proposing one or more amendments to the constitution to impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, to limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and to limit the terms of office of federal officials and members of Congress.

Fiscal Notes

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

Bill Analysis

On behalf of the 84th Texas Legislature, HJR 77 would call for an Article V convention amongst the states “for the limited purpose of proposing one or more amendments to the constitution to impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, to limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and to limit the terms of office of federal officials and members of Congress.” 

Vote Recommendation Notes

With a national debt that has cleared the $18 trillion mark and federal mandates that encroach on the liberties of individuals on a daily basis, the United States Congress has clearly led the federal government astray. At our nation’s current trajectory we will reach a point of no return in rolling back many of these intrusions into our liberty.  

We support HJR 77 because an Article V convention is our most effective means to reigning in the massive debt created by our federal government, as well as its unprecedented growth in power. While some believe that this could result in a runaway convention, it is important to remember that the proposal in this resolution calls “for the limited purpose of proposing one or more amendments to the constitution.” In other words, the scope of this convention would be tailored narrowly to only consider the issues specified in HJR 77.

This joint resolution would positively affect all five of our liberty principles. 

Organizations Supporting

Convention of States Project 
Shadowsoft
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Organizations Opposed

Central Texas Tea Party
John Birch Society
North Texas Citizens Lobby
Texas Eagle Forum
Texas Farm Bureau