    [Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 10, 2018)]
    [Extensions of Remarks]
    [Pages E25-E27]
    From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      REPORT TO CONGRESS REGARDING THE ARIZONA BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT
                              PLANNING CONVENTION

                                     ______

                               HON. PAUL A. GOSAR

                                   of arizona

                        in the house of representatives

                          Wednesday, January 10, 2018

      Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, it is with great satisfaction and pride that
    I report the outcome of the first formally authorized national
    Convention of State Legislatures to convene in 156 years. The ``Arizona
    Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) Planning Convention'' was held
    September 12-15, 2017 in the chamber of the Arizona House of
    Representatives. The purpose of the convention was to discuss and plan
    for an eventual Article V--convention of states to propose a federal
    balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
      The convention was formally called by the Arizona legislature's
    passage of HCR2022 sponsored by the Arizona Speaker of the House, J.D.
    Mesnard, on March 16, 2017. Pursuant to that resolution, the purpose of
    the convention was to create a proposed set of rules for adoption by
    and to govern a future single subject Article V convention to propose a
    BBA. Additionally, delegates were instructed to address the logistics
    involved in preparing for and participating in an upcoming Article V
    BBA convention. This report is intended to inform the work of the
    Arizona BBA Planning Convention and highlight areas of importance.
      The Arizona BBA Planning Convention has created a roadmap for future
    conventions to draw upon when they convene, and has provided a sense of
    security to those who questioned the ability of State delegates to hold
    a convention that would address solely its single purpose and nothing
    more. It was an important endeavor that deserves proper cataloguing in
    the appropriate annals to include the Congressional Record, the Library
    of Congress, the National Archives, State Libraries, and the
    participating State Legislatures' records. I submit this congressional
    report and ask that you consider the work of the delegates as
    legitimate and pertinent.
      In keeping with the traditions of past national conventions, the
    Arizona BBA Planning Convention has encouraged delegations to create a
    report of the convention to their state. Georgia, Michigan and
    Minnesota, among others, are states whose delegates have provided a
    comprehensive assessment. We encourage them to submit their work to the
    above archives as well, and hope to preserve this work and encourage
    more national conventions on a variety of topics in the future.
      Therefore, I include in the Record a report to Congress in regard to
    Arizona balanced budget amendment:

           It is with great confidence that I believe each member of
         Congress possesses the same depth of gratitude for the work
         of our

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         Founding Fathers as those of us who attended this first fully
         authorized convention of states since the Civil War. We are
         all tasked with the grand responsibility to govern the
         people. In doing so, we reach with one hand into the future
         to focus on protecting the prosperity of our children's
         children, and with our other hand we reach to the past to
         learn and explore what happened so that we are better able to
         protect and preserve the vision of those who built this great
         Republic.
           One such visionary was Col. George Mason, who insisted that
         the States should also be able to propose amendments to the
         Constitution. He imagined that there would come a time when
         the Legislatures would be called upon to take appropriate
         action, and that there ought to be a second mechanism to
         update our founding document should the need arise. This
         method has recently gained interest and popularity across the
         country, and for several years State Legislators have been
         examining the viability of such an exercise.
           It can be legitimately argued that the time George Mason
         envisioned is before us. The momentum is increasing and the
         reality of an Article V Convention of States is becoming ever
         apparent. Greater Legislators than I were aware of the need
         to prepare the way in advance, and it has been an honor to
         join them in that effort. We hope to work together with
         Congress to restore fiscal accountability through the
         requirement of a balanced budget, and preparing a proposed
         set of rules for the Balanced Budget Amendment Convention is
         our gift to future delegates to make that process easier.
           We present this report to you in hopes that you will
         consider the work that has been accomplished thus far. The
         Phoenix Correspondence Commission was created as an outgrowth
         of this convention, and as a founding member of that
         Commission, I look forward to beginning the conversation
         needed to prepare for the much-anticipated Article V
         Convention of States.
           ``We face the most predictable economic crisis in
         history.'' That was the conclusion of Erskine Bowles, co-
         chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and
         Reform (Simpson-Bowles Commission), to the U.S. Senate Budget
         Committee on March 8, 2011. At the time of this ominous
         warning to the nation in 2011, the national debt had just
         eclipsed $14 trillion. It took 206 years for our nation to
         amass $1 trillion in debt; it has increased by over $6
         trillion in the just the last seven years. Had Congress acted
         on the commission's proposal, it would have reduced the
         national debt by $4 trillion over a decade and put Social
         Security solidly on the road to solvency. Congress ignored
         this unequivocal national wake up call. ``The fiscal path we
         are on today is simply not sustainable,'' Bowles said. ``This
         debt and these deficits that we are incurring on an annual
         basis are like a cancer and they are going to truly destroy
         this country from within unless we have the common sense to
         do something about it.'' States are exercising the common
         sense to do something about it. Acting under Article V of the
         U.S. Constitution, 28 of the required 34 States have now
         called for a convention of states to propose a balanced
         budget amendment to the Constitution in order to avert this
         ``most predictable economic crisis in history.'' In September
         of 2016, at the call of the Arizona Legislature, 19 States
         convened in their official capacity to propose rules for
         conducting an Article V balanced budget convention of states.
           We call upon Congress, the States, and people of good faith
         everywhere to extend their utmost efforts to support this
         constitutional remedy for curing the national fiscal
         ``cancer'' before the exponentially increasing national debt
         ``destroy[s] this nation from within.''
           The Phoenix convention was instructive in preparing for a
         future Article V BBA convention. We learned much about the
         process of communicating with the state legislatures and the
         need to continue to educate them on the logistics of a
         convention. We were encouraged from the manner in which the
         delegates conducted themselves that any future convention,
         like Phoenix, will stick to its task and never ``run away''
         as Article V naysayers assert. The nature of delegate
         appointment process and the rules, in addition to numerous
         other safeguards, simply won't allow for it.
           As a result of the Arizona convention, including the
         establishment of the Phoenix Correspondence Commission, the
         states as a group are positioned to assist Congress in
         counting the number of live Article V BBA applications in
         place, in assisting with identifying a time and location for
         a future BBA convention to be held, in addressing any legal
         issues which may arise concerning the calling of such a
         convention, in preparing language for an appropriate
         resolution to be passed by Congress fulfilling its mandatory
         obligation to call the convention when the threshold number
         of states have applied and to otherwise assist Congress in
         performing its duties pursuant to Article V of the United
         States Constitution.
           At present, twenty-eight (28) states have passed (and not
         rescinded) Article V applications calling for a convention to
         propose a balanced budget amendment. As we approach the two-
         thirds threshold triggering the call of a convention, we
         stand ready to work cooperatively with Congress in moving
         forward with this historic endeavor.
           I authored the resolution calling for a Balanced Budget
         Amendment Planning Convention in Phoenix because I love this
         country. I believe it to be the greatest nation that has ever
         existed, but I am greatly concerned that our country is not
         on a sustainable fiscal path. Contrary to what some would
         like us to believe, the responsibility to get our fiscal
         house in order does not just rest with Congress, nor is
         Congress the end-all-be-all for governing this country.
           In fact, a critical responsibility of the states in this
         great Union is in helping to keep our federal government in
         check. That value of Federalism was a bedrock principle that
         our Founding Fathers captured in the design of government put
         forth in the Constitution of the United States, over two
         centuries ago. I believe it is time for the states to start
         flexing our constitutional muscles, just as our Founding
         Fathers envisioned. And one vital tool for facilitating that,
         was instilled by our Founders in Article V of the
         Constitution. That is, the power of the states to propose
         amendments, especially as a means of constraining the power
         of the federal government. In 1798, then Vice President
         Thomas Jefferson, in correspondence with a state legislator,
         wrote, ``I wish it were possible to obtain a single amendment
         to our Constitution. I would be willing to depend on that
         alone for the reduction of the administration of our
         government; I mean an additional article taking from the
         Federal Government the power of borrowing.'' While it might
         be more than two centuries late, I hope that soon we will be
         able to give President Jefferson his wish--for our own sake
           All fifty state legislatures were invited to attend the
         Arizona BBA Planning Convention. The Arizona planning
         committee actively sought a delegation from each state and
         was fully inclusive in their efforts to host a bi-partisan
         event. HCR2022 specifically required that the delegations be
         chosen by resolution of the legislature or by formal joint
         appointment by the leadership in both houses of their
         respective state legislatures. This was to ensure that the
         delegation was authorized to speak and vote on behalf of
         their state Legislature. Delegates who were not listed on
         their State's approved delegation list were not seated. The
         meeting consisted of officially approved delegates from 19
         state legislatures, with delegates from three additional
         states observing. Committees established to fulfill the
         requirements of HCR2022 were as follows: The Rules Drafting
         Committee; The Planning Committee, which was divided into two
         sub-committees: A Subcommittee on Ethics which was formed to
         address the impact and management of outside influence on the
         convention process and A Subcommittee on Delegates and
         Correspondence to assist in planning for a future BBA
         convention. A synopsis of the product of the Rules Committee
         is as follows: Produced a model set of rules for an Article V
         convention to propose a BBA. Some components of the set of
         model rules were as follows: The Article V convention shall
         be limited in scope to the balanced budget amendment.
         Governing rules provide for appropriate order and conduct
         during a BBA Article V convention which include, but are not
         limited to, the following: Duties of the officers. A quorum
         is a majority of the states in attendance. Each state shall
         be given only one vote, as has been the precedent in all
         preceding state conventions. Order of business and names of
         committees. The cost of the convention to be divided equally
         among the states in attendance.
           A synopsis of the Planning Committee is as follows:
         Recommendations for protecting the integrity of an Article V
         Convention. Non-delegates should not be permitted on the
         Chamber Floor, Members' Lounge, etc., and should only be
         permitted in public areas. Any interaction of Convention
         leadership and staff with non-delegate individuals or
         organizations that pertains to Convention business or process
         should be strictly prohibited, with the exception of the
         press. Convention communications should only include official
         activities. States should consider extending their ethics
         restrictions (i.e. lobbying, food, gifts, etc.) to delegates
         serving within a convention, in addition to any ethics
         standards imposed by Convention rules. Sub-Committee on
         Delegates and Correspondence reported the following: In
         anticipation of the call for a convention for proposing
         amendments, states are strongly encouraged to enact delegate
         selection legislation at the earliest opportunity. The
         Phoenix Correspondence Commission (PCC) was created. The PCC
         will consist of commissioners appointed by the states to
         carry out the following functions to organize a convention
         for proposing amendments: Creating a single point of contact
         to act as a liaison with Congress. Track all applications for
         a convention for proposing amendments. Create a process to
         suggest to Congress a time and place for a convention for
         proposing amendments. Provide a process for legal
         representation, if necessary. Perform tasks as needed to
         organize the convention. Each state is strongly encouraged to
         appoint a commissioner to the PCC to communicate on all
         matters associated with a convention for proposing amendments
         with any or all of the following: State Legislators, United
         States Citizens, Convention Organizers, State Congressional
         Delegations, and Congress. The members of the PCC will be
         initially comprised of one member appointed from each
         delegation present at this Arizona Balanced Budget Amendment
         Planning Convention, until such time as each commissioner's
         state formally appoints a commissioner to the PCC or declines
         to do the same.

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