Following the latest American Legislative Exchange Council gathering in Scottsdale, Arizona, the National Debt Relief Amendment (which I’ve promoted before on the Locker Room) now has seven new states with committed legislative sponsors: Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Mississippi, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Wyoming. That brings the total to 19 states pending introduction or passage, ready to join Louisiana and North Dakota, which have passed the resolution.
The resolution calls for an Article V amendments convention for the purpose of submitting the National Debt Relief Amendment (led by RestoringFreedom.org) to the states for ratification. The amendment would enable an external check on the reckless deficit spending of the United States congress, and the text reads:
“An increase in the federal debt requires approval from a majority of the legislatures of the separate States.”
This initiative for an amendments convention is gaining bipartisan momentum all the time, including traction in prominent media outlets such as USA Today. And it suggests a growing recognition that federal officials are in dire need of a structural change. Current incentives lead them to drive up deficits and buy off voting blocks, and the time has more than come for an amendments convention to change that.
As national spokesman, State Sen. Curtis Olafson (R—Edinburg, N.D.) notes “The NDRA would create a national discussion and decision outside of Washington whenever Congress relies upon debt to fund its activities.” Read the full press release here.
