State Rep. Ray Pickett (R-Ashe), one of the primary sponsors of House Joint Resolution 146, has raised the ire of convention of states advocates who say the resolution demonstrates greater faith in Congress than in his own constituents. | Facebook.com/RayPickettNCHouse
State Rep. Ray Pickett (R-Ashe), one of the primary sponsors of House Joint Resolution 146, has raised the ire of convention of states advocates who say the resolution demonstrates greater faith in Congress than in his own constituents. | Facebook.com/RayPickettNCHouse
The North Carolina House of Representatives is considering a resolution that would rescind any past application by the state General Assembly for a convention of states under Article V of the U.S. Constitution.
House Joint Resolution 146 (HJR 146), sponsored by state Rep. Ray Pickett (R-Ashe) and others, has yet to clear committees, but already has stirred opposition among proponents for a convention of states to consider amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Jeff Groh, regional captain for the Convention of States Project, told the High Country Times that HJR 146 misrepresents the history and intent of the movement.
“The Convention of States Project is a nationwide, non-partisan effort to use Article V of the U.S. Constitution to rein in an out-of-control federal government,” Groh said. “You have to look no further than the fact we are more than $28 trillion in debt, with neither political party motivated to solve that problem, to know we are in trouble.”
Pickett did not respond to High Country Times' interview request, nor did he offer any comment.
Groh said that Article V was a way that the nation’s founders provided for the states that make up the U.S. to bypass Congress in order to make constitutional changes that Congress would never take up, including term limits, fiscal restraints and creating additional limitations on the power of the federal government.
“In essence, we want to put the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government back in their constitutional box,” Groh said.
Groh said that he feels support for HJR 146 is in effect a statement by the resolution’s sponsors that they trust Congress more than they trust their own constituents.
“This nation was built on the concept of self-governing citizens,” Groh said. “By sponsoring HJR 146, they are saying we can’t be trusted and any North Carolinian should be outraged.”
Groh also said that the proponents of the resolution are misconstruing Article V in insinuating that a convention of states would be a constitutional convention and open the entire Constitution up to sweeping changes.
The Convention of States project, working with its sponsors in the state House, has filed HJR 233. This resolution calls for a convention of states as authorized by Article V of the Constitution. Fifteen states have approved similar resolutions.
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