Resolution of The Assembly of State Legislatures - June 12-13, 2014

WHEREAS, it is proper to recognize the role the 1785 meeting between Virginia and Maryland at Mount Vernon and the gathering of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia at Annapolis in 1786 in beginning to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and “devise such further provisions as shall appear to them necessary to render the Constitution of the Federal Government adequate to the exigencies of the Union;” and 

WHEREAS, it is equally proper to recognize the role meetings at Mount Vernon on December 7, 2013 and Indianapolis on June 12-13, 2014 have on the process of addressing procedures for calling a Convention for proposing amendments under Article V of the United States Constitution; and 

WHEREAS, the Constitution created a system of Federalism, with a division of power between States and Federal Government, but that the resulting balance of power has been called into question in recent years; and 

WHEREAS, pursuant to the provisions of Article V of the Constitution of the United States, State Legislatures have equal standing with Congress to propose amendments; and 

WHEREAS, the States, through their appointed delegates, are united in their desire to act on the authority, duty and responsibility to define the rules and procedures of any Article V amendment proposing Convention; and 

WHEREAS, the attendees of The Mount Vernon Assembly, a bipartisan group of more than 100 currently elected State Legislators from 33 States, gathered for a meeting convened on June 12, 2014, at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ASSEMBLY: 

Section 1: That “The Mount Vernon Assembly” shall hereafter be known as “The Assembly of State Legislatures.” 

Section 2: That the focus of The Assembly of State Legislatures’ efforts moving forward is to draft proposed rules and procedures or any provisions as shall appear to them necessary, being a power not delegated to Congress but reserved to the States, under which an Article V Convention for proposing amendments would function. 

Section 3: That the work product of The Assembly of State Legislatures will serve as recommendations for a Convention for proposing amendments called by Congress, thus allowing the amending convention to focus on drafting language of an amendment(s) instead of the administrative process; and 

Section 4: That the Executive Committee of The Assembly of State Legislatures is hereby instructed to transmit a formal invitation to the legislative leaders of the fifty States, requesting a bi-partisan delegation of at least three currently serving members of their respective legislative bodies to be present from each State at the next planning meeting in early December, 2014. (The date and site to be determined by the Executive Committee based on the input from the planning subcommittee.)