Single subject amendment resolution.

WORKING DRAFT
2017
State of Wyoming
17LSO-0417
Introduced
1.2

House

JOINT RESOLUTION
NO.

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Single subject amendment resolution.

Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Laursen, Blackburn, Clem and Lindholm and Senator(s) Case, Hicks and Wasserburger

A JOINT RESOLUTION

for

A JOINT RESOLUTION requesting Congress to call a convention for the purpose of proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require that every law enacted by Congress shall embrace only one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title.

WHEREAS,
each measure before a legislative body should pass on its own merits without depending on legislative support for other unrelated measures to achieve the required number of votes for passage; and

WHEREAS,
a single-subject constitutional provision
supports
this
principle
by prohibiting a legislative body from enacting a law that embraces more than one subject; and

WHEREAS,
forty-one (41) of the fifty (50) states, including Wyoming, have a single-subject provision in their respective state constitutions, and the legislatures and citizens of these states have benefitted from a single-subject requirement; and

WHEREAS,
the Co
nstitution of the United States
is the supreme law of the United States of America, touching the lives of every citizen in the several states, but is missing this important provision; and

WHEREAS,
the country's

national
debt
is greatly expanding
and Congress is currently searching for a solution; and

WHEREAS,
a federal single-subject amendment would provide the means to limit
"
pork barrel
"
spending, control the phenomenon of legislating through riders, limit omnibus legislation, prevent public surprise and increase the
institutional accountability of Congress and its members; and

WHEREAS,
it is Wyoming's hope and desire that Congress will be able to conduct its business in a more productive, efficient, transparent and less acrimonious way with a single-subject requirement; and

WHEREAS,
Article V of the Constitution of the United States makes provision for amending the Constitution on the application of the legislatures of two-thirds (2/3) of the several states,
or on the
calling
of
a convention for proposing amendments that shall be valid to all intents and purposes if ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths (3/4) of the several states or by conventions in three-fourths (3/4) thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by Congress.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING:

Section 1.

(a)

That the Legislature of the State of Wyoming does hereby make application to the Congress of the United States pursuant to Article V of the Constitution of the United States to call a convention for the sole purpose of proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to provide that Congress shall pass no bill, and no bill shall become law, which
embraces more than one subject, which shall
be
clearly expressed in the bill's title.

(b)

That this resolution is revoked and withdrawn, nullified and superseded to the same effect as if it had never been passed, and be retroactive to the date of passage, if it is used for the purpose of calling a convention or used in support of conducting a convention to amend the Constitution of the United States for any purpose other than requiring that every law enacted by Congress
shall
embrace only one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in the title.

(
c
)

That this application constitutes a continuing application in accordance with Article V of the Constitution of the United States until the legislatures of
at least two-thirds
(2/3)
of the states have made applications on the same subject.

Section
2
.

That the Secretary of State of Wyoming transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress and to the Wyoming Congressional Delegation.

(END)

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