HF769

The bill H.F. No. 769, introduced by Quam and Hudson in Minnesota, seeks to formally request the U.S. Congress to call a convention for proposing amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The desired amendments aim to:

1. Impose fiscal constraints on the federal government: This would involve creating rules to limit how much the federal government can spend or borrow.

2. Limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government: This component seeks to reduce the overall scope of activities and authority that the federal government currently holds, possibly returning more control to individual states.

3. Limit the terms of office for federal officials and members of Congress: This part aims to set maximum limits on how long individuals can serve in federal positions and Congressional roles to prevent long-term incumbencies.

The need for such amendments, according to the bill, is justified by concerns about excessive national debt blamed on federal spending, the overreach of federal mandates on states, and an argument that the federal government no longer operates within a proper interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. This resolution by Minnesota serves as a formal application to Congress, based on provisions in the Constitution that allow states to request amendments through a convention. The bill also stipulates that this application supersedes any prior similar requests and includes instructions for distributing copies of this resolution to key governmental and state figures nationwide. This process continues until at least two-thirds of the states have submitted similar requests on the subject.