Convention of States passes Kansas House Committee on Federal and State Affairs
Article/COS - 2 minute
A vote to pass a Convention of States was successful in the Kansas House Committee on Federal and State Affairs with a 13-10 vote. This means the bill will now be headed to the House floor where the House will have to vote on whether to pass the application.
“Thanks to all of you who wrote letters, made phone calls, and attended the hearing—your commitment to liberty has helped us move one step closer to securing a victory in Kansas,” Kanas State Director for Convention of States David Copeland wrote in an email announcing the news. “Now is a great time to spread the word about the Convention of States Project. Simply send an email to your friends and family about the last, best chance to preserve liberty in America.”
A Convention of States is also known as an Article V Convention as it comes from Article V of the Constitution. Article V was written by our founding fathers in the last week of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 as a way for We the People to add amendments to the Constitution. This is done by the People petitioning their State Legislatures. Once 34 states make an application for a convention, the U.S. Congress approves a location and time for the convention. States then select delegates for the convention and can have as many or as few as they want to represent their state, however, each state only gets one vote. With the current Article V Convention, amendments to the Constitution can be made, but must relate to at least one of three predetermined topics. These topics are:
Impose fiscal restraints on the federal government
Limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government
Term limits on Congress and federal officials
Delegates then agree on the wording of the amendments, and these amendments, which are only proposed amendments, are brought home to the State Legislatures to be voted on. It is only when 38 states pass an amendment that it is ratified to the Constitution. Should Kansas successfully pass a Convention of States, it will become the twentieth state out of 34 states needed to call a Convention of States.
If you would like to sign the petition, you can click here.