I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5306 
To require the Archivist of the United States to compile all applications, 
and rescissions of applications, made to the Congress to call a convention, 
pursuant to article V of the Constitution, and certain related materials, 
and to transmit them to Congress, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 23, 2016 
Mr. MESSER (for himself, Mr. BYRNE, Mr. STIVERS, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, 
Mrs. MCMORRIS
RODGERS, Mr. POLIS, Mr. LIPINSKI, and Mr. 
RATCLIFFE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight 
and Government Reform and Rules, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Archivist of the United States to compile 
all applications, and rescissions of applications, made 
to the Congress to call a convention, pursuant to article 
V of the Constitution, and certain related materials, and 
to transmit them to Congress, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Article V Records 
Transparency Act of 2016’’. 
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SEC. 2. COMPILATION AND TRANSMISSION TO CONGRESS 
OF APPLICATIONS AND RESCISSIONS OF AP-
PLICATIONS TO CALL A CONVENTION FOR 
PROPOSING 
AMENDMENTS 
TO 
THE 
CON-
STITUTION AND RESCISSIONS OF THOSE AP-
PLICATIONS. 
(a) COMPILATION AND TRANSMISSION.—The Archi-
vist of the United States (hereinafter in this Act referred 
to as the ‘‘Archivist’’) shall, in accordance with this Act— 
(1) make an organized compilation, to the ex-
tent feasible, of all applications and rescissions of 
applications, ever made by States under article V of 
the Constitution, to call a convention for proposing 
amendments to the Constitution; and 
(2) transmit to Congress that compilation, to-
gether with both physical and electronic copies of 
each such application and rescission. 
(b) SOURCES FOR COMPILATION.—In complying with 
subsection (a) the Archivist shall use the records contained 
in the National Archive and Records Administration and 
make all efforts feasible to obtain an official copy of any 
application or rescission that may not be in such records. 
(c) TIMING OF TRANSMITTAL.— 
(1) Not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Archivist shall trans-
mit the first part of the compilation, containing all 
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the known applications or rescissions made after 
1950. 
(2) Not later than two years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Archivist shall trans-
mit the second part of the compilation, containing 
all the known applications and rescissions made in 
1950 or earlier. 
(d) REPORT ON EXTENT OF MISSING APPLICATIONS 
OR RESCISSIONS.—Not later than two years after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Archivist shall submit 
to Congress a report detailing the extent of suspected 
missing applications or rescissions not included in the 
compilation under subsection (a). 
(e) CATALOGING
APPLICATIONS.—The Archivist 
shall, in compiling the applications and rescissions, catalog 
them by year of submission and State, and include that 
information in the material transmitted to Congress. 
SEC. 3. DUTIES OF THE COMMITTEES ON THE JUDICIARY. 
(a) APPLICATIONS INCLUDED
IN COMPILATION.— 
Upon receipt by Congress of the compilation described in 
section 2(a), the respective committees on the judiciary in 
each House of Congress shall make the applications and 
rescissions contained in such compilation available on a 
publicly accessible website. 
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(b) APPLICATIONS AND RESCISSIONS NOT INCLUDED 
IN COMPILATION.—The respective committees on the judi-
ciary in each House of Congress shall update the compila-
tion in the public websites maintained by them under sub-
section (a) to reflect the receipt of any application or re-
scission submitted under article V of the Constitution to 
call a convention for proposing amendments to the Con-
stitution that— 
(1) was not included in the initial compilation 
as transmitted under section 2; and 
(2) is a new application or rescission or other-
wise comes to the attention of the committee. 
SEC. 4. APPLICATIONS AND RESCISSIONS ARRIVING AFTER 
THE TRANSMISSION UNDER SECTION 2. 
The Congress recommends the following procedures 
to make uniform and simplify the process by which State 
legislatures make an application, or a rescission of an ap-
plication, under article V of the Constitution to call a con-
vention for proposing amendments to the Constitution: 
(1) OFFICERS TO TRANSMIT AND RECEIVE AP-
PLICATIONS.—After the adoption by the legislature 
of a State of an application or rescission, the sec-
retary of state of the State, or if there be no such 
officer, the person who is charged by the State law 
with such function, should submit to Congress at 
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Clerk of the House of Representatives, the Secretary 
of the Senate, and the Chairmen and Ranking Mi-
nority Members of the Committees on the Judiciary 
of the House of Representatives and the Senate; 
(2) the term ‘‘application’’ means any resolu-
tion or other measure, agreed upon by a State legis-
lature, that contains a request to Congress to call a 
convention pursuant to article V of the Constitution; 
and 
(3) the term ‘‘rescission’’ means any resolution 
or other measure, agreed upon by a State legisla-
ture, that has the purpose of making null and void 
an application previously submitted by the State leg-
islature. 
SEC. 6. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED. 
No additional funds are authorized to carry out the 
requirements of this Act. Such requirements shall be car-
ried out using amounts otherwise authorized. 
Æ 
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