HCR2006 - 531R

REFERENCE TITLE: Article V convention

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-third Legislature

First Regular Session

2017

HCR 2006

Introduced by

Representative Thorpe

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Applying to the congress of the United States to call a convention for proposing amendments to the Constitution of the United States.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring:

1. That, pursuant to Article V of the Constitution of the United States, the Legislature of the State of Arizona formally applies to the Congress of the United States to call a convention of the states only for the purpose of proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States requiring any one or more of the following:

(a) That a person may not serve more than twelve years as a member of Congress, whether that service is exclusively in the United States House of Representatives or the United States Senate or combined in both Houses.

(b) That the Seventeenth Amendment of the United States Constitution is repealed. All senators shall be chosen by their state legislatures as prescribed by Article I of the United States Constitution.

(c) That a person may not serve as Chief Justice or as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court for more than a combined total of twelve years.

(d) That total outlays of the United States Government for any fiscal year may not exceed the total receipts of the United States Government for that fiscal year and may not exceed 17.5 percent of the United States gross domestic product for the previous calendar.

(e) That Congress may not collect more than 15 percent of a person's annual income from whatever source derived.

(f) That each federal department or agency terminates if the department or agency is not individually reauthorized in stand-alone reauthorization bills every three years by a majority vote of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.

(g) That Congress's power to regulate commerce is not a plenary grant of power to the federal government to regulate and control economic activity but a specific grant of power limited to preventing states from impeding commerce and trade between and among the several states. Congress's power to regulate commerce does not extend to activity within a state, whether or not it affects interstate commerce, nor does it extend to compelling an individual or entity to participate in commerce or trade.

(h) That when a governmental entity takes property from a property owner for a public use by actual seizure or through regulation, and the taking results in a market value reduction of the property, interference with the use of the property or a financial loss to the property owner exceeding $10,000, the government shall compensate fully the property owner for the reduction, interference or loss.

(i) That there shall be a minimum of thirty days between the engrossing of a bill or resolution, including amendments, and its final passage by both Houses of Congress. During the engrossment period, the bill or resolution shall be placed on the public record and there shall be no changes to the final bill or resolution.

(j) That the states may, by a three-fifths vote of the state legislatures, override federal regulations exceeding an economic burden of one hundred million dollars after the regulations have been finally approved.

(k) That citizens in every state, every territory and the District of Columbia shall produce as a requirement for registering to vote and voting in any primary or general election for President, Vice President and members of Congress valid photographic identification documents that demonstrate evidence of their citizenship and that are issued by the state government for the state in which the voter resides. Provisions shall be made by the state legislatures to provide such citizenship‑designated photographic identification documents at no cost to individuals unable to afford fees associated with acquiring such documents.

(l) That early voting in any general election for President, Vice President or members of Congress may not be held more than thirty calendar days before the national day of election, except that for active‑duty military personnel, voting may not commence more than forty‑five calendar days before the national day of election.

(m) That, if registration or voting is not in person, but by mail, citizens must submit an approved citizen-designated photo identification and other reliable information to state election officials to register to vote and request ballots for voting not later than forty‑five calendar days before the primary or general elections for President, Vice President or members of Congress. Registration forms and ballots must be returned and signed by the voter and must either be mailed or hand‑delivered by the voter to state election officials. If delivered by a third party, the voter must provide written authorization for the person making the delivery and the third party must sign a statement certifying that the third party did not unduly influence the voter's decisions. Electronic or other technology‑based voting systems for national elections are proscribed unless a reliable identification and secure voting regimen is established by the state legislature.

2. 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 application on the same subject or subjects, and supersedes all previous applications by this Legislature on the same subject or subjects.

3. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona transmit a copy of this Resolution to the President and Secretary of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona and the presiding officers of each house of the several state legislatures.