34|Ready Sponsor Testimony Template

Attachment: 4621/34_Ready_Sponsor_Testimony.docx

TESTIMONY

for Article V Amending Convention Commissioner Legislation

Chairman ______, members of the committee,

I seek your support for [Bill Number].

This legislation provides for procedures regarding the selection, instruction, and oversight of commissioners to an Article V amending convention. It includes criminal penalties for any commissioner who violates their instructions.

Article V requires Congress to count state applications for a convention to propose amendments and to formally call the convention once 34 state legislatures agree on the topic or topics for amendment proposals.

As of today, nineteen states have applied for an Article V amending convention under the Convention of States application. Twenty-one more states have filed the same application in the 2025 legislative session. And there are other Article V efforts underway as well.

As momentum is growing for an Article V amending convention, preparing commissioner legislation to be ready for the 34^th state to apply for a convention is becoming more urgent. Fourteen states have already passed such legislation. In 2025, twenty states have introduced new commissioner legislation or updates to existing legislation.

[State] [has passed/has introduced/has yet to consider] a resolution for an Article V amending convention under the Convention of States application.

[Optional paragraph if state has not passed the COS application] Even if our state is not among the thirty-four applying for an Article V amending convention, we will surely participate in such a convention once it is called, and therefore need to establish the procedures enacted by this legislation.

We know from the historical precedents that at an interstate convention, the state legislature chooses, commissions, and oversees agents to represent its interests at the meeting. The Supreme Court’s decision in Chiafalo v. Washington underscores that. But it is left to us to determine exactly how we do that. This legislation addresses many of those details:

* Who will represent our state as commissioners?
* How will they be chosen?
* What are their qualifications?
* What instructions will they receive?
* How will we oversee their activities?
* How will we ensure that they do not violate their instructions?

The procedures set forth in this legislation ensure the orderly conduct of our delegation to an Article V amending convention, including:

* [ number] commissioners shall be selected by a resolution passed by a majority voting in a joint session of the legislature.
* Qualifications to be a commissioner:
* 25 years old, U.S. and state citizen, registered to vote.
* Prohibition on Federal employees, contractors, lobbyists, and officeholders.
* Prohibition on holding a statewide office.
* Prohibition for felony convictions.
* An Advisory Committee consisting of three members of the legislature will oversee the delegation.
* A commissioner may be recalled at any time and for any reason by a joint resolution of the legislature, or by the Advisory Committee if the legislature is not in session.
* Commissioner instructions:
* Shall not alter the one-state-one-vote rule.
* Shall not alter any existing individual right guarantees in the U.S. Constitution.
* Instructions can be modified by the legislature at any time.
* Prohibition on accepting certain gifts.
* Establishes rules for conduct and decision within the delegation.
* Establishes a level [ ] felony for commissioners who violate their instructions.
* Establishes a level [ ] felony for anyone who bribes, threatens, intimidates, or obstructs a commissioner in performance of their duties.

As we move closer and closer to the nation’s first ever Article V amending convention, it is crucial for [state] to be prepared to effectively participate when the convention is called. This legislation is an important step in ensuring that [state] will play an influential role in an Article V amending convention.

I ask for your support and will answer any questions from the committee.

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Created:	2025-03-06 20:39 GMT
Updated:	2025-03-06 20:49 GMT
Published:	2025-03-06 20:39 GMT
Converted:	2025-11-11 12:35 GMT
Change Author:	Daniella Landivar
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