Convention of States Project Gets 13th State –
The Convention of States Project (CoSP) received a Valentine’s Day present this year. On February 14 the Arkansas legislature approved SJR3, the CoSP resolution for an Article V convention to propose constitutional amendments. The vote was 54 to 38 in the House and 19 to 13 in the Senate.
The Arkansas action makes 13 states that have adopted the CoSP resolution. Rep. Brandt Smith reportedly said to his fellow legislators “My question to you is, if not now, when? We can either manage the decline of our nation, or we can step up and try to guide our nation back to some common sense approach to government.”
Rep. Stephen Meeks, who voted yes, said it was a question of faith versus fear, and that legislators should have faith that their fellow Americans would block any unacceptable amendment.
In Indiana the first chapter of Young Americans for Convention of States was recently formed. CoSP hopes to launch multiple chapters during 2019 among high schools beginning in NW Indiana.
Meanwhile these other states have been considering the CoSP proposal:
Illinois – HJR20 and HJR34 are CoSP bills without term limits.
Iowa – SJR15 is the CoSP bill without the term limits provision. It is pending before the Senate State Government Committee. See separate term limits bill below.
Mississippi – SC596 with 20 sponsors is a CoSP bill without the term limits component. It is pending in the Senate Rules Committee.
Nebraska – LR7 is pending before the Legislature Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.
New Jersey – SCR28 was introduced in January 2018 and was carried over. It has 7 sponsors and ACR73 has 13 sponsors. Both bills are still in committee.
South Carolina – SJR112 has 11 sponsors (this application is subject to a lengthy list of reservations, understandings, and declarations) and SCR28 with 3 sponsors. Both are in committee.
South Dakota – HJR1005 was killed in committee by a 6 to 7 vote. Rep. Steve Livermont said, “We did what they refer to as a smoke out. If the sponsor of a bill can get 14 of the representatives on the house floor to stand for him, he can revive a bill that has been killed in committee and bring it directly to the floor for debate.” That approach did not work.
Utah – SJR9 was voted out of the Senate in late February by a vote of 16 to 12. It now goes to the House.
Virginia – HJR685 has 8 sponsors and is pending in the House Rules Committee.
West Virginia – HCR33 with 15 sponsors is pending in the House Judiciary Committee
Wyoming – SJ0004 had 11 sponsors. The bill did not pass.
