Florida legislation calls on Congress to convene a constitutional amendments convention to propose term limits and balanced budget amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
An Article V Convention, a national convention that can be called by the states to propose new amendments to the United States Constitution. It’s one of two ways that the U.S. Constitution can be amended – the other is by amendments proposed by Congress itself.
Under Article V of the U.S. Constitution, a constitutional convention must be convened if two-thirds of state legislatures (34 states) call for it.
The Florida Senate passed House Joint Resolution 703, Balanced Federal Budget, and House Joint Resolution 693, Congressional Term Limits, both sponsored in the Senate by Republican Senator Blaise Ingoglia.
Democrats warn that the balanced federal budget amendment is really just a backdoor way for right-wing extremists to impose cuts on Social Security and Medicare.
“Term limits and balanced budget requirements have worked quite well here in Florida, and help our state guard against the rampant corruption, abuses of power, and overspending we see in Washington,” said Republican Senate President Kathleen Passidomo. “Our founding fathers envisioned elected officials as short-term public servants, not lifelong bureaucrats. With these initiatives, Florida is sending a strong message that the federal government must be accountable to the people.”
“Washington desperately needs an infusion of fresh ideas and new perspectives. Congress has become a lifeless shell of what the founders intended – Instead of working for the interests of hard-working Americans, Congress is cowing to special interests and working to advance their own career aspirations,” said Senator Ingoglia. “By passing Congressional term limits we will provide for much needed accountability and put an end to career politicians in Washington.”
Article V of the U.S Constitution provides an amendments convention, when two-thirds of state legislatures apply, as one method for proposing constitutional amendments.
“Every single penny the government has to spend is taken from a person or a business who earned it. Public service isn’t a blank check to recklessly squander hard-earned money siphoned from the paychecks of working Americans,” continued Senator Ingoglia. “Career politicians have benefited from the status quo for far too long. Families have to balance their budgets, and so should the federal government.”
House Joint Resolution 703, Balanced Federal Budget, is an application to Congress calling for an Article V constitutional amendments convention to propose an amendment requiring that, except in a national emergency, the total of all federal appropriations for any fiscal year not exceed the total of all estimated federal revenues.
House Joint Resolution 693, Congressional Term Limits, is an application to convene an amendments convention to propose an amendment to set a limit on the number of terms a person may be elected to serve as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
In 1992, Florida voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the State Constitution imposing term limits on the Florida Legislature, Cabinet, and Lt. Governor, as well as the U.S. House and Senate. However, in 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the portion of the amendment that applied to federal offices.
