HCR57 urges the U.S. Congress to convene a convention for proposing amendments under Article V of the U.S. Constitution. The purpose of this convention would be to propose amendments aimed at establishing fiscal responsibility within the federal government and repealing the 16th Amendment.
The West Virginia State House of Delegates passed HCR57 on March 7, 2024 by a vote of 79 to 18. We have assigned pluses to the nays because a so-called “Convention of the States” would not be of “limited” purpose. While we support repealing the 16th Amendment, the vague and contradictory text contained in this joint resolution dangerously permits what Article V of the U.S. Constitution describes as a “Convention for proposing Amendments” or second constitutional convention. Article V was designed to correct structural deficiencies in the federal government, not the behavior of its elected officials. HCR57 should be opposed in favor of less risky, more precise, and immediate solutions that would restore power back to the states and the people, such as clear-cut proposals in Congress to repeal bad amendments or state nullification of specific unconstitutional federal laws.
