Article V convention

TO THE HONORABLE DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 1
AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF 2
REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF 3
THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED: 4
We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of 5
the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, 6
respectfully represent and petition as follows: 7
WHEREAS, The founders of our Constitution empowered state 8
legislators to be guardians of liberty against future abuses of power 9
by the federal government; and 10
WHEREAS, The federal government has created a crushing national 11
debt through improper and imprudent spending; and 12
WHEREAS, The federal government has invaded the legitimate roles 13
of the states through the manipulative process of federal mandates, 14
most of which are unfunded to a great extent; and 15
WHEREAS, The federal government has ceased to live under a proper 16
interpretation of the Constitution of the United States; and17
WHEREAS, It is the solemn duty of the states to protect the 18
liberty of our people, particularly for the generations to come, by 19
proposing amendments to the Constitution of the United States through 20
a convention of the states under Article V of the Constitution, for 21
the purpose of restraining these and related abuses of power;22
S-0593.1
SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 8011
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Senators Fortunato, Harris, Boehnke, Muzzall, Warnick, and Wagoner
p. 1 SJM 8011
NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists, the legislature of the State 1
of Washington, respectfully: 2
(1) Apply to Congress, under the provisions of Article V of the 3
Constitution of the United States, for the calling of a convention of 4
the states limited to proposing amendments to the Constitution of the 5
United States that impose fiscal restraints on the federal 6
government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal 7
government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for 8
members of Congress; and 9
(2) Adopt this application expressly subject to the following 10
reservations, understandings, and declarations: 11
(a) An application to the Congress of the United States to call 12
an amendment convention of the states pursuant to Article V of the 13
United States Constitution confers no power to Congress other than 14
the power to call such a convention. The power of Congress to 15
exercise this ministerial duty consists solely of the authority to 16
name a reasonable time and place for the initial meeting of a 17
convention. 18
(b) Congress shall perform its ministerial duty of calling an 19
amendment convention of the states only upon the receipt of 20
applications for an amendment convention for the substantially same 21
purpose as this application from two-thirds of the legislatures of 22
the several states. 23
(c) Congress does not have the power or authority to determine 24
any rules for the governing of an amendment convention of the states 25
called pursuant to Article V of the United States Constitution. 26
Congress does not have the power to set the number of delegates to be 27
sent by any state to such a convention, nor does it have the power to 28
name delegates to such a convention. The power to name delegates 29
remains exclusively within the authority of the legislatures of the 30
several states. 31
(d) By definition, an amendment convention of the states means 32
that states must vote on the basis of one state, one vote.33
(e) An amendment convention of the states convened pursuant to 34
this application must be limited to consideration of the topics 35
specified herein and no other. This application is made with the 36
express understanding that an amendment that in any way seeks to 37
amend, modify, or repeal any provision of the Bill of Rights shall 38
not be authorized for consideration at any stage. This application is 39
p. 2 SJM 8011
void ab initio if ever used at any stage to consider any change to 1
any provision of the Bill of Rights. 2
(f) Pursuant to Article V of the United States Constitution, 3
Congress may determine whether proposed amendments will be ratified 4
by the legislatures of the several states or by special state 5
ratification conventions. The legislature of the State of Washington 6
recommends that Congress select ratification by the legislatures of 7
the several states. 8
(g) The legislature of the State of Washington may provide 9
further instructions to its delegates and may recall its delegates at 10
any time for a breach of a duty or a violation of the instructions 11
provided. 12
BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately 13
transmitted to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President of the United 14
States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the 15
United States House of Representatives, each member of Congress from 16
the State of Washington, and to the presiding officers of each of the 17
legislative houses in the several states, requesting their 18
cooperation; and 19
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this Memorial constitutes a 20
continuing application in accordance with Article V of the 21
Constitution of the United States until the legislatures of at least 22
two-thirds of the several states have made applications on the same 23
subject. 24
--- END ---
p. 3 SJM 8011