HARRISBURG – On Monday, a state House committee moved Pennsylvania a significant step forward in the effort to join other states by beginning the process of reining in and reversing significant abuses of power by the federal government.
“It has become very clear that Washington, D.C., in many respects, no longer operates as outlined in the United States Constitution,” said state Rep. Matt Gabler (R-Clearfield/Elk), author of
House Resolution 206. “Future generations are going to be forced to deal with massive, out-of-control increases in the federal debt and increasingly crushing federal regulations. None of this is consistent with the constitution.
“The framers of the Constitution anticipated someday we would get to this point. They made sure the Constitution contains a provision that allows the states, independent of Washington, D.C., to formally meet and discuss how best to address these problems,” concluded Gabler.
The House State Government Committee advanced Gabler’s House Resolution 206, which serves as an application to Congress for a “convention for proposing amendments” under Article V of the United States Constitution. Pennsylvania would send five delegates to the convention, which would be limited in scope to three topics: imposition of fiscal restraints on the federal government, limitations on its power and jurisdiction, and limitations of the terms of office for Congress and federal officials. Any amendments proposed by the convention would become law only if they are ratified by a three-fourths majority (38) of the states. Currently, 15 states have passed resolutions identical to House Resolution 206. Under the Constitution, Congress must call a convention once two-thirds (34) of the states have passed identical applications.
“Only significant action taken by the states can address the dysfunction in Washington,” added Gabler. “We are long past the point of expecting solutions to originate within Washington, D.C. Understanding the concerns that have been expressed regarding how a convention would be administered, House Resolution 206 contains significant restrictions on convention scope and delegate behavior. The General Assembly will have absolute control over our delegation, as will the other states with their delegations.”
The resolution is now eligible to be taken up in the House chamber.
Questions about this legislation or any state-related matter may be directed to Gabler’s DuBois office at (814) 375-4688, his St. Marys office at (814) 781-6301 or his Clearfield office at (814) 765-0593.
State Representative Matt Gabler
75th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Scott Little
717.260.6137
slittle@pahousegop.com
RepGabler.com /
Facebook.com/RepGabler