The Convention of States Project is a national effort to utilize Article V of the US Constitution to convene a Convention of the States, a tool our Founders provided that allows We the People to bypass Congress to propose amendments that Congress will never do on their own.
A primary goal is to return us to our constitutional roots. The convention itself would offer a very public civics lesson in the concept of federalism.
The process requires 34 state legislatures to pass a resolution that defines the scope of the convention. The resolution authorizes the convention to debate amendments on term limits for federal officials as well as imposing fiscal restraints on and limiting the power and jurisdiction of the federal government. Any proposed amendment would need to be ratified by 38 states.
Nineteen states have passed this resolution. The North Carolina Senate is now the obstacle in North Carolina.
The COS resolution passed the Senate in 2017–2018 legislative session. It passed the House in the 2021–2022 session, and again in 2023. HJR 235 passed the House on March 8, 2023, with strong Republican support.
The Republican-led Senate has refused to act on HJR 235 but still can before the end of the year. We’ll see if they have a sense of duty and urgency to act on behalf of this nation.
What has changed since 2017 when the resolution first passed the Senate? The national debt was about $20 trillion then. It is now close to $35 trillion, and the federal government continues to amass more power at the expense of the states. Our federal republican form of government is slipping away while our state senators dither. What would the founders think?
Why has the Senate refused to act? Why do they ignore thousands of calls, letters, and emails from nearly 100,000 North Carolina constituents who support COS? Why do they ignore the hundreds of people that attend rallies at the legislative complex and dozens of COS supporters that show up every week? Do they not value the thousands of calls, emails, texts, and doors knocked by hundreds of volunteers during the 2020 and 2022 election cycles?
They have also ignored personal contacts from conservative leaders and constitutional scholars, like; Michael Farris, Col. Allen West, and former US Sens. Tom Coburn and Rick Santorum, among others.
Do those senators who oppose HJR 235 believe they know better, or do they just lack courage?
Who are these senators listening to? They are listening to organizations such as the John Birch Society and Eagle Forum, who spread lies about a “run-away convention.” Ironically, these conservative organizations are parroting the talking points of George Soros, Common Cause, and over 230 other radical-left organizations.
Finally, all legislators need to understand that COS is here to stay. Remember that we have worked with our supporters in the House and Senate for four legislative sessions. We will continue to build the grassroots. If some believe they can simply ignore us and we will go away, they are woefully wrong.
It is time for the Senate to have a vote and for senators to go on record. The North Carolina COS grassroots understand our nation is worth the fight and our state Senators should understand that and have the courage to act. We will continue to fight for what is right.