South Asheville News

As the North Carolina Legislature nears the start of its May legislative session, supporters of the Convention of States movement are making their voices heard. 

The Convention of States resolution is moving through the North Carolina Legislature and is known as House Joint Resolution 233 (HJR 233). In May 2021, it was successfully passed by the House of Representatives and has been pending before the Senate since. 

HJR 233 would add North Carolina to the list of States calling for an Article V Convention of the States to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Supporters are calling on their representatives to pass this measure, which they believe will help rein in an out-of-control federal government.

“Our country is on the precipice,” Jeff Groh, regional captain of Convention of States Action North Carolina, told South Asheville News. “It is time the N.C. Senate exercise the power entrusted to them by our Founders and pass HJR 233. If you are driven by fear of the process or think that HJR 233 is ‘too controversial,’ then you are telling your constituents you do not trust them to self-govern.”

Supporters of a Convention of States have been lobbying the state Senate for months. In August 2021, Old North News published an opinion piece from Bob Luddy calling for the North Carolina Senate to pass HJR 233. Luddy cited wide support among North Carolinians for the proposal, and the need to "impose real, meaningful restraints on D.C. with a constitutional amendment.” 

The Convention of States resolution has been passed in 19 states. It needs to pass in 34 states to call a convention. Wisconsin, Nebraska, West Virginia, and South Carolina are the most recent states to act, with all four state legislatures passing the resolution earlier this year. 

The resolution allows for a future Convention of States to consider Constitutional amendments that would limit the "power and jurisdiction" of and impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, or those that would create term limits for federal officials. 

Convention of States Action (COSA) works for an amending convention, not a constitutional convention. There is a significant difference, as a constitutional convention would seek to completely rewrite the framework of government and deliver a new constitution, whereas an amending convention offers only particular amendments to the existing constitution. Any amendments would have to be ratified by 38 States before becoming officially part of the Constitution.