AFA of PA ACTION ALERT

December 16, 2019

Issue

Convention of States Bill is Bad Idea!

Details

The House State Government Committee is scheduled to vote on House Resolution 206 possibly as early as TODAY!  It is “A Concurrent Resolution petitioning the Congress of the United States to call a Convention for proposing amendments pursuant to Article V of the Constitution of the United States limited to proposing amendments that impose fiscal restraints on the Federal Government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the Federal Government and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress.”

Listen to my interview with Pennsylvania Eagle Forum’s Andy Schlafly about the dangers of a Convention of States .

In October 2018 Andy Schlafly testified before the PA Senate State Government Committee and outlined reasons why that session’s bill should be opposed.  Those reasons included:

  1.  The late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia called the idea of a “Convention of States” a “horrible idea,” recognizing that such a convention would put the Constitution at great risk.
  2. Chief Justice Warren Burger agreed with Andy’s mother, Phyllis Schlafly, saying in a letter he wrote her, “I have also repeatedly given my opinion that there is no effective way to limit or muzzle actions of a constitutional Convention.  The Convention could make its own rules and set its own agenda.”
  3. The text of Article V confirms there is no limit to what a convention could do.
  4. The original Constitutional Convention was written free of modern pressures by the media.
  5. The 17th Amendment is a perfect example of how state legislatures can rush to ratify an amendment even though it takes away the rights of states. 
  6. The 2016 Republican National Platform rejected an attempt by pro-Article V convention promoters.

The same reasons Andy laid out last year apply to this House bill.   

Action Steps

Contact members of the House State Government Committee as well as your State Rep and ask him or her to oppose House Resolution 206.  You can contact your State Rep here with a pre-written editable message here

Contact House State Government Committee members below:

House State Government Committee members:

Garth Everett, Chairman     contact form  

Kevin Boyle, Democratic Chair  contact form 

Russ Diamond  — contact form  

Matt Gabler — contact form   

Brett Miller — contact form 

Stephanie Borowicz —  contact form 

Matthew Dowling — contact form 

Chris Dush – contact form   

Seth Grove  –   contact form 

Dawn Keefer – contact form   

Jerry Knowles – contact form 

Andrew Lewis – contact form   

Frank Ryan – contact form   

Louis Schmitt, Jr. – contact form   

Craig Staats – contact form   

Jeff Wheeland – contact form   

Malcolm Kenyatta – contact form   

Pamela DeLissio  — contact form   

Brian Sims – contact form   

Joe Ciresi – contact form    

Isabella Fitzgerald — contact form   

Joseph Hohenstein – contact form    

Jared Solomon – contact form     

Wendy Ullman – contact form    

Joe Webster – contact form