Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1251
Sponsors: HIGGINS, STANLEY

MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE 
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HOUSE ADVANCE JOURNAL AND CALENDAR - Thursday, January 25, 2018
ORDERS 
(4-1)  On motion of Representative WADSWORTH of Hiram, the following Joint 
Resolution:  (H.P. 1251) (Cosponsored by Representatives: HIGGINS of Dover-Foxcroft, 
STANLEY of Medway) 
JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING APPLICATION TO THE CONGRESS OF THE 
UNITED STATES CALLING A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION UNDER 
ARTICLE V OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION LIMITED TO PROPOSING 
AN AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION TO REQUIRE A 
BALANCED FEDERAL BUDGET 
WHEREAS, under the United States Constitution, Article V, the Congress of the United 
States, whenever two-thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments 
to the United States Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the 
several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments that, in either case, shall be 
valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the United States Constitution, when ratified by the 
legislatures of three-fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three-fourths thereof, as 
the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; and 
WHEREAS, with each passing year, this nation becomes more deeply in debt as its 
expenditures grossly and repeatedly exceed available revenues, so that the public debt now 
exceeds hundreds of billions of dollars; and 
WHEREAS, the annual federal budget is a continual demonstration of an unwillingness 
or inability of both the legislative and executive branches of the Federal Government to curtail 
spending to conform to available revenues; and 
WHEREAS, unified budgets do not reflect actual spending because of the exclusion of 
special outlays that are neither included in the budget nor subject to the legal public debt limit; 
and 
WHEREAS, knowledgeable planning, fiscal prudence and plain good sense require that 
the budget reflect all federal spending and be in balance; and 
WHEREAS, believing that fiscal irresponsibility at the federal level, with the inflation 
that results from this policy, is the greatest threat that faces our nation, we firmly believe that 
constitutional restraint is necessary to bring about the fiscal discipline needed to restore financial 
responsibility; and 
WHEREAS, we believe action on amendments to the United States Constitution 
concerning federal expenditures to be vital; now, therefore, be it 
HOUSE ADVANCE JOURNAL AND CALENDAR - Thursday, January 25, 2018
RESOLVED: That the Legislature of Maine respectfully applies to the Congress of the 
United States, under the provisions of Article V of the United States Constitution, for the calling 
of a convention of the states limited to proposing an amendment to the United States 
Constitution requiring that, in the absence of a national emergency, the total of all federal outlays 
made by the Congress of the United States for any fiscal year may not exceed the total of all 
estimated federal revenues for that fiscal year, together with any related and appropriate fiscal 
restraints; and be it further 
RESOLVED: That this application is to be considered as covering the same subject 
matter as the presently outstanding balanced budget applications from other states, including but 
not limited to previously adopted applications from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, 
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, 
Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North 
Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia; and 
this application must be aggregated with same for the purpose of attaining the two-thirds of 
states necessary to require the calling of a convention for proposing amendments, but may not be 
aggregated with any applications on any other subject; and be it further 
RESOLVED: That this application constitutes a continuing application in accordance 
with Article V of the United States Constitution until the legislatures of at least two-thirds of the 
several states have made applications on the same subject. It supersedes all previous applications 
by this Legislature on the same subject; and be it further 
RESOLVED: That suitable copies of this resolution, duly authenticated by the Secretary 
of State, be transmitted to the Secretary of the Senate and presiding officers of both houses of the 
legislatures of each of the several states in the nation, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States 
House of Representatives, the President and Secretary of the United States Senate and each 
member of the Maine Congressional Delegation. 
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