South Carolina
“Memorializing Congress to Call a Constitutional Convention for the Purpose of Amending the Federal Constitution to Limit Annual Federal Appropriations to Annual Revenues, with Certain Exceptions. . . . That Congress is requested, pursuant to Article V of the United States Constitution, to call a constitutional convention for the specific and exclusive purpose of proposing an amendment to the Federal Constitution.” – South Carolina S 1024 (1978)
Representative Application
For each of the 40 States, one representative application has been highlighted. An explanation is provided as to why this application should be aggregated toward the total calling for a convention for proposing amendments. Additional applications from the State, if any, are also included.
South Carolina S 1024 (1978) is among three states that include specifically worded amendment language but also say that the amendment should read “substantially” as their example shows, not “exactly” showing that the specific text is not intended to be a strict restriction, but counted together with other applications that articulate the same problem, as confirmed by a Congressional Report and the Congressional Research Service. These three all articulate the problem of fiscal responsibility with a sentence nearly identical to “The total of all Federal appropriations made by the Congress for any fiscal year may not exceed the total of the estimated Federal revenues for that fiscal year” followed by some method of making an exception, such as for national emergencies.
S 1024 (1978)
Memorializing Congress to Call a Constitutional Convention for the Purpose of Amending the Federal Constitution to Limit Annual Federal Appropriations to Annual Revenues, with Certain Exceptions.
Whereas, with each passing year this Nation becomes more deeply in debt as congressional expenditures grossly and repeatedly exceed available revenues so that the public debt now exceeds a half-trillion dollars; and
Whereas, attempts to limit spending by means of the new congressional budget committee procedures have proved fruitless; and
Whereas, the annual Federal budget repeatedly demonstrates an unwillingness or inability of both the legislative and executive branches of the Federal government to curtail spending to conform to available revenues; and
Whereas, the proposed budget of five hundred billion dollars for fiscal year 1978-1979 does not reflect total spending because of the exclusion of special outlays which are not included in the budget nor subject to the legal public debt limit; and
Whereas, believing that fiscal irresponsibility at the Federal level, with the resulting inflation and decline in the Nation’s trading position is a growing and corrosive threat to our economy, to the well-being of our people, and to our representative democracy, that constitutional restraint is necessary to bring the fiscal discipline needed to reverse this trend. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:
That Congress is requested, pursuant to Article V of the United States Constitution, to call a constitutional convention for the specific and exclusive purpose of proposing an amendment to the Federal Constitution.
Be it further resolved that the proposed new amendment read substantially as follows:
“PROPOSED ARTICLE XXVII
The total of all federal appropriations made by the Congress for any fiscal year shall not exceed the total of the estimated federal revenues for that fiscal year, excluding any revenues derived from borrowing, and this prohibition extends to all federal appropriations and all estimated federal revenues, excluding any revenues derived from borrowing. The President in submitting budgetary requests and the Congress in enacting appropriation bills shall comply with this article.
The provisions of this article shall be suspended for one year upon the proclamation by the President of an unlimited national emergency. The suspension may be extended, but not for more than one year at any one time, if two-thirds of the membership of both Houses of Congress so determine by Joint Resolution.”
Be it further resolved that copies of this resolution be forwarded to the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and to each member of Congress from South Carolina.
IN THE HOUSE, May 15, 1978 Adopted
CONCURRED IN as amended and RETURNED to SENATE
By Order of the House
/s/ Lois T. Shealy
Clerk
IN THE SENATE, May 16, 1978
House Amendments agreed to and a message sent accordingly
Concurrence of House RECEIVED AS INFORMATION
/s/ L. O. Thomas
Clerk