The House Rules Committee today voted 8-2 to approve a Senate resolution calling for a constitutional amendment requiring Congress to pass a balanced budget.
The House committee vote came one day after the Senate Rules Committee signed off on a House version of the resolution.
The Legislature now has two weeks to consider the resolutions.
Jerrod Shouse, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, said the balanced budget resolutions are a big deal to Oklahoma’s small businesses. “If the government has to stick to a budget, it will eliminate the need to keep raising taxes,” he said.
Senate Joint Resolution 4 and House Joint Resolution 1018 authorize state delegates to attend a limited convention of the states, as authorized by Article V of the U.S. Constitution, solely for the purpose of proposing a balanced budget amendment.
“Once the Legislature signs off on single version of the resolution, Oklahoma will become the 28th state to authorize a convention. Thirty-four states are needed in order to hold a convention, and 38 states would have to approve any proposed amendment in order for it to become the law of the land.
“Of course, the states wouldn’t have to get involved at all if Congress would simply stop spending money it doesn’t have. Washington seems to think that if you want to spend more, it’s OK to jack up taxes or go deeper into debt and kick the can down the road.
“That’s why NFIB/Oklahoma supports this legislation. If small-business owners in Oklahoma can stick to a budget, so can our politicians in Washington.”
NFIB/Oklahoma is the state’s leading small-business association with over 4,000 dues-paying members representing a cross section of the state’s economy. Learn more at www.NFIB.com/OK or follow @NFIB_OK on Twitter.
PHOTO: Daniel Mayer/Wikipedia
