SF 2614

as introduced - 87th Legislature (2011 - 2012) Posted on 04/26/2012 09:04am

A joint resolution
applying to Congress to call a constitutional convention to propose amendments to
the Constitution of the United States to require a balanced federal budget.

WHEREAS, the people of Minnesota as represented by their Legislature find that fiscal
discipline and economic integrity have been core principles of American governance; and

WHEREAS, the American people have historically demanded the same prudent,
responsible, and intellectually honest financial behavior from their elected representatives as
ultimately compels individual behavior; and

WHEREAS, it is the firm conviction of the Legislature of the State of Minnesota that it is
wrong for government to fund every want and whim of the present generation by robbing future
Americans of their prosperity; and

WHEREAS, mortgaging the birthright of our children and grandchildren is a dangerous
departure from traditional American values which threatens to permanently undermine the
strength and security of our nation; and

WHEREAS, for the nation to pay off the entire federal debt by 2015, Congress would have
to triple the federal income taxes of every American and devote the increase exclusively to
debt payments; and

WHEREAS, our debt is increasingly owed to the governments of foreign nations, not to the
citizens of the United States; therefore, our wealth is transferred to others and will not be available
to supply the means for America's future growth and prosperity; and

WHEREAS, high federal deficits cause increasingly high payments for debt interest in the
future, make future borrowing more costly, reduce investment activity, and thus reduce the size
of the future economy; and

WHEREAS, the people of Minnesota recognized the wisdom of fiscal discipline and
enshrined in their State Constitution the requirement for a balanced budget to place a prudent
limit on the natural tendencies of government; and

WHEREAS, we the Legislature of the State of Minnesota call for the Constitution of
the United States to be amended to require the federal government to operate with fiscal
responsibility, common sense, and within the revenues granted to it by the people; and

WHEREAS, the federal government has for too long relied on revenue increases and
borrowing against our future rather than prudent spending decisions within the limits of current
tax revenues; and

WHEREAS, lasting resolution of this nation's budget deficit can be achieved only by
addressing the spending habits of our federal government, not by increasing the tax burden
under which our citizens already labor; and

WHEREAS, under Article V of the Constitution of the United States, the Congress, on
the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for
proposing amendments to the Constitution of the United States that shall be valid to all intent and
purposes if ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions
in three fourths thereof, as one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by Congress;
NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota that it applies to the
Congress of the United States to call a constitutional convention for the purpose of proposing
amendments to the Constitution of the United States to achieve and maintain a balanced budget by:

(1) requiring that such balanced budget account for all obligations of the federal
government;

(2) allowing flexibility in federal balanced budget requirements by providing exceptions
related to exigencies such as national emergencies or threats to the nation's security;

(3) imposing spending limits on the federal government; and

(4) setting extraordinary vote requirements for new or increased federal taxes and other
revenues.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State of Minnesota is directed to
prepare copies of this resolution and transmit it to the Speaker and the Clerk of the United States
House of Representatives, the President and the Secretary of the United States Senate, the United
States Secretary of State, and Minnesota's Senators and Representatives in Congress.