SB1567 strengthens Tennessee's "faithful delegate" rules for an Article V constitutional convention. It requires state commissioners and alternates to a convention to follow the General Assembly's instructions and the limits placed on the convention, and makes knowingly voting outside those instructions a Class E felony.
The Tennessee State Senate passed SB1567 on March 5, 2026 by a vote of 26 to 5. We have assigned pluses to the nays because these "faithful delegate" provisions give a false sense of security that an Article V convention can be controlled. Even if Tennessee commissioners are bound by state law, delegates from other states would not be bound by Tennessee's rules, and the convention itself could propose sweeping changes — including a new constitution, as happened in 1787. Convention of States simulations in 2016 and 2023 produced amendments massively expanding federal power, spending, and control — the very abuses advocates claim they want to stop. A convention today could become a "Trojan horse" for globalists and leftists seeking to dismantle constitutional limits on government. Rather than relying on delegate restrictions that cannot guarantee a convention will remain limited, legislators should honor their oath, nullify unconstitutional federal actions, and use Article VI to enforce the Constitution.
