West Virginia Public Broadcasting – Members of the Senate approved a resolution Thursday calling for a convention of states to add a balanced budget amendment to the U. S. Constitution. Read
Senate Concurrent Resolution 13 was debated for days in the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, and passed by the full chamber after a voice vote following hours of impassioned debate.
Proponents of the resolution say spending in Washington is out of control. With a national debt of more than $18 trillion, they worry the country’s fiscal future hangs in the balance and say lawmakers in Washington aren’t willing to do anything about it.
Opponents of the convention of states say it’s not the balanced budget amendment they worry about, it’s the ability to control the agenda and authority of the convention once it’s called. A similar convention hasn’t been called since 1787.
