North Carolina
“[T]his body respectfully petitions the Congress of the United States to call a convention for the exclusive purpose of proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require a balanced federal budget in the absence of a national emergency.” – North Carolina SJR 1 (1979)
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.
North Carolina SJR 1 (1979) is among the eight States articulate the problem of fiscal responsibility with a phrase nearly identical to “require a balanced federal budget and to make certain exceptions with respect thereto.” There are some slight variations among this language, most notably North Carolina which replaces “and to make certain exceptions with respect thereto” with “in the absence of a national emergency.”
SJR 1 (1979)
A JOINT RESOLUTION APPLYING TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES TO CALL A CONVENTION TO PROPOSE AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES TO REQUIRE A BALANCED FEDERAL BUDGET.
Whereas, believing that inflation is the most serious problem facing the people of the United States, and the primary cause of inflation is unchecked federal spending; and
Whereas, the State of North Carolina is required by its Constitution to have a balanced budget, and has long operated on a sound fiscal basis which the federal government would be well-served to emulate; and
Whereas, under Article V of the Constitution of the United States, amendments to the federal Constitution may be proposed by the Congress whenever two-thirds of both houses deem it necessary, or on the application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the several states, the Congress shall call a Constitutional Convention for the purpose of proposing amendments which shall be valid when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states or by conventions in three-fourths thereof;
Whereas, by Resolution 97 of the General Assembly, ratified July 1, 1977, the Congress was requested to submit an amendment to the states to require a balanced federal budget, but the Congress has failed to act;
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:
Section 1. That the Congress of the United States is requested to propose and submit to the states an amendment to the Constitution of the United States which would require that, in the absence of a national emergency, the federal budget be balanced each fiscal year within four years after the amendment is ratified by the various states.
Sec. 2. That, alternatively, this body respectfully petitions the Congress of the United States to call a convention for the exclusive purpose of proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require a balanced federal budget in the absence of a national emergency.
Sec. 3. That this application constitutes a continuing application in accordance with Article V of the Constitution of the United States until at least two-thirds of the legislatures of the several states have made similar applications pursuant to Article V, or until this application is rescinded by the General Assembly of North Carolina; but if Congress proposes an amendment to the Constitution identical in subject matter to that contained in this joint resolution before January 1, 1980, this petition for a Constitutional Convention shall no longer be of any effect.
Sec. 4. That this application and request be deemed rescinded in the event that the convention is not limited to the subject matter of this application.
Sec. 5. That since this application under Article V of the Constitution of the United States is the exercise of a fundamental power of the sovereign states under the Constitution of the United States, it is requested that receipt of this application by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States Congress be officially noted and duly entered upon their respective records, and that the full context of this resolution be published in the official publication of both -the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Congress.
Sec. 6. That copies of this resolution be sent to the Secretaries of State, -presiding officers of all state legislatures in the Union, the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, the Secretary of the United States Senate, and each member of the North Carolina Congressional delegation.
Sec. 7. This resolution is effective upon ratification.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 29th day of January, 1979.
James C. Green
President of the Senate
Carl J. Stewart, Jr.
Speaker of the House of Representatives