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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Recent experience has shown that the safeguards in
3the United States Constitution, as currently interpreted by the
4Judiciary, are insufficient to require the federal government
5to comply with such basic rules of fiscal responsibility as
6balancing its own budget, preventing the abuse of its
7legislative process, and mandating upon state government
8duties within adequate funding; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Those who framed and adopted the United States
10Constitution included a provision by which state legislatures
11may require Congress to call a convention for proposing
12amendments as a way to respond to disagreements in
13constitutional interpretation or abuses by federal officials;
14and
 
15    WHEREAS, the Illinois General Assembly accordingly makes
16application to Congress for the calling of a convention for
17proposing an amendment to the United States Constitution
18imposing certain rules of fiscal discipline, providing for
19legislative transparency, and preventing unfunded mandates on
20the federal government; therefore, be it
 
21    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL
22ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 

 

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1CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge Congress to call for a
2Convention to propose an Amendment to the federal Constitution:
3        Section 1. The Illinois General Assembly does hereby
4    make an application to the Congress of the United States
5    pursuant to Article V of the Constitution of the United
6    States to call an Article V Amendment Convention for the
7    sole purpose of voting to propose or voting not to propose
8    the following specific Amendment to the Constitution of the
9    United States:
10        "ARTICLE___. The Congress, on Application of the
11    Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, which all
12    contain an identical Amendment, shall call a Convention
13    solely to decide whether to propose that specific Amendment
14    to the States, which, if proposed shall be valid to all
15    intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when
16    ratified pursuant to Article V."
17        Section 2. For the purpose of determining whether the
18    required two-thirds of the Legislatures of the several
19    states have applied for a Convention, this Application may
20    be counted and considered valid only in conjunction with
21    qualifying applications of other States that contain the
22    identical text of the specific Amendment contained in this
23    Application and whose application requires that the sole
24    purpose of the Convention is to decide whether to propose,
25    or not to propose this specific Amendment.
26        Section 3. This joint resolution is revoked and

 

 

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1    withdrawn, nullified and superseded to the same effect as
2    if it had never been passed, and retroactive to the date of
3    passage, if it is used to conduct a convention that votes
4    to propose any Amendment other than the specific text of
5    the Amendment contained in Section 1 of this resolution.
6        Section 4. Every delegate selected to represent
7    Illinois at a Convention that Congress shall call pursuant
8    to this resolution shall take an oath, enforceable under
9    Illinois law, to abide by and act according to the limits
10    imposed by this resolution on the purpose of the
11    Convention.
12        Section 5. Any delegate selected to represent Illinois
13    at a Convention that Congress shall call pursuant to this
14    resolution shall have no authority to consider or approve
15    any other Amendment but the one contained in this
16    Application. Any vote taken in violation of this limitation
17    shall be null and void, and any delegate who so votes shall
18    have no authority to represent Illinois on any matter at
19    the Convention.
20        Section 6. This Application shall only be valid if
21    two-thirds of the states shall make a qualifying
22    Application within seven years of its referral for
23    ratification to the states by Congress under the provisions
24    of Article V.
25        Section 7. This Application shall be null and void and
26    of no effect if Congress, within ninety days of receipt of

 

 

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1    qualifying Applications from two-thirds of the states,
2    shall propose and refer for ratification by the several
3    states under the procedures outlined in Article V of the
4    United States Constitution, the same exact text of the
5    Amendment contained in this Application.
6        Section 8. Copies of this Application shall be
7    delivered within thirty days of its passage to the Speaker
8    of the United States House of Representatives, the Clerk of
9    the United States House of Representatives, the President
10    pro tempore of the United States Senate, the Secretary of
11    the United States Senate, every member of Congress from
12    Illinois, and the presiding officers of each house of the
13    legislature of the several states.
14        Section 9. This joint resolution shall not take effect
15    unless and until the proper implementing legislation is
16    enacted by the General Assembly.