Pennsylvania
“[T]he General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania makes application and requests that the Congress of the United [States] call a Constitutional Convention for the specific and exclusive purpose of proposing an amendment to the Federal Constitution requiring in the absence of a national emergency that the total of all Federal appropriations made by the Congress for any fiscal year may not exceed the total of all estimated Federal revenues for that fiscal year.” – Pennsylvania HR 236 (1976)
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.
Pennsylvania HR 236 (1976) is among the seventeen States that articulate the problem of fiscal responsibility with a phrase nearly identical to “the total of all federal appropriations made by the Congress for any fiscal year may not exceed the total of all estimated federal revenues for that fiscal year.” There are some slight variations, the biggest being Wyoming referring to “receipts” rather than “revenue.”
HR 236 (1976)
In the House of Representatives,
WHEREAS, Requesting appropriate action by the Congress, either acting by consent of two-thirds of both Houses or, upon the application of the Legislatures of two-thirds of the several states, calling a Constitutional Convention to propose an amendment to the Federal Constitution to require, with certain exceptions, that the total of all Federal appropriations may not exceed the total of all estimated Federal revenues in any fiscal year.
WHEREAS, With each passing year this Nation becomes more deeply in debt as its expenditures grossly and repeatedly exceed available revenues, so that the public debt now exceeds hundreds of billions of dollars; and
WHEREAS, The annual Federal budget continually 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, Unified budgets do not reflect actual 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, Knowledgeable planning, fiscal prudence, and plain good sense require that the budget reflect all Federal spending and be in balance; and
WHEREAS, Believing that fiscal irresponsibility at the Federal level, with the ‘inflation which results from this policy, is the greatest threat which faces our Nation, we firmly believe that constitutional restraint is necessary to bring the fiscal discipline needed to restore financial responsibility; 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. We believe some such action vital; therefore be it
RESOLVED, (The Senate concurring), That the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania proposes to the Congress of the United States that procedures be instituted in the Congress to add a new article to the Constitution of the United States, and that the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania requests the Congress to prepare and submit to the several states an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, requiring in the absence of a national emergency that the total of all Federal appropriations made by the Congress for any fiscal year may not exceed the total of all estimated Federal revenues for that fiscal year; and be it further
RESOLVED, That, alternatively, the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania makes application and requests that the Congress of the United States States[1]call a Constitutional Convention for the specific and exclusive purpose of proposing an amendment to the Federal Constitution requiring in the absence of a national emergency that the total of all Federal appropriations made by the Congress for any fiscal year may not exceed the total of all estimated Federal revenues for that fiscal year; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania also proposes that the Legislatures of each of the several states comprising the United States apply to the Congress requesting the enactment of an appropriate amendment to the Federal Constitution; or requiring the Congress to call a Constitutional Convention for proposing such an amendment to the Federal Constitution and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be sent to the members of the Congress from Pennsylvania: and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives send copies of this joint resolution to the Secretary of State and presiding officers of both Houses of the Legislature of each of the other states in the Union, the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. and the Secretary of the United States Senate, Washington, D. C.
[1]Duplicate word appears in original document.