CHEYENNE, Wyo., Feb. 1, 2016—Supporters of making Wyoming the 28th state to call for a convention of states in order to balance the federal budget are kicking their lobbying efforts into high gear this week, beginning by asking State House and Senate members to watch six short videos explaining what’s at stake.
“We know state legislators have to balance the state’s books first, but they should not pass on an opportunity to help the nation with its books, too,” said Tony Gagliardi, Wyoming state director for the National Federation of Independent Business. “Yes, this is Congress’s job, but Congress isn’t doing it, putting all of us on a collision course with effective national insolvency, and sooner than we think.”
One of the two ways the U.S. Constitution allows for amendments to be made to it is by petition to Congress from two-thirds (34) of state legislatures for a convention to be held to propose a balanced budget. The nation is looking to Wyoming to be number 28 calling for such a convention.
On a 44-to-16 vote, the Wyoming House of Representatives passed a balanced budget resolution last year, House Joint Resolution 0004, but it ran out of time in Senate. Both bodies should make it a priority to revive it. Our nation is running out of time, and Wyoming will not be spared any of the expected financial cataclysm some see coming unless we get serious about our spending habits.
“Those who oppose the state effort to propose a balanced budget amendment via convention often resort to the tired runaway convention argument which claims that convention delegates could re-write the U.S. Constitution or repeal the second amendment,” said Loren J. Enns, a co-found and campaigns director for the Balanced Budget Amendment Task Force. “This is simply false. The convention delegates are limited to the discussion and proposal of the amendment topic specified in their state’s original application. Even if a radical amendment were somehow proposed, it wouldn’t matter because it takes 38 states for ratification, so there is no risk.”
The following short videos explain the problem, process, and urgency of taking action. They can be viewed on this stream.
Video 1 – The campaign for a BBA via an Article V Convention. (4:16)
Video 2 – The dire economic state of America. (4:08)
Video 3 – The Article V Convention process. (4:26)
Video 4 – A thorough defense of the Article V Convention. (4:40)
Video 5 – How Ohio made history at number 19. (1:54)
Video 6 – Ohio Gov. John Kasich makes the case for a BBA. (2:06)
Reporters and editors interested in guest speakers for TV, radio and editorial board meetings on this issue can email NFIB Senior Media Manager Tony Malandra at [email protected]
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For more than 70 years, the National Federation of Independent Business has been the Voice of Small Business, taking the message from Main Street to the halls of Congress and all 50 state legislatures. NFIB annually surveys its members on state and federal issues vital to their survival as America’s economic engine and biggest creator of jobs. NFIB’s educational mission is to remind policymakers that small businesses are not smaller versions of bigger businesses; they have very different challenges and priorities.
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