Senate passes resolution calling for an Article V Convention of States

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, honored the legacy of former United States Senator Tom Coburn Wednesday with the passage of Senate Joint Resolution 41, which calls for an Article V Convention of States to amend the U.S. Constitution. Coburn is a staunch advocate for a convention and has said it is the only way to halt the overreach of power by the federal government.

SJR 41 would call for Constitutional amendments that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and members of Congress.

“There are two ways amendments to the Constitution are proposed – through a two-thirds majority of Congress or a two-thirds majority of the states,” Standridge said. “Our founders provided this right as a means to correct any imbalance of power between the states and the federal government, and to attempt to solve problems that Congress could not or would not address.”

Standridge said the only way to reign in the federal government is through a convention of states, and he outlined the changes needed to restore power to the states and the people in SJR 41.

“Dr. Coburn has worked with Oklahoma legislators and citizens to show that an amendments convention could solve some of our nation’s most critical problems,” Standridge said. “Since Congress is out of control, it is up to us to limit their power, enact term limits and keep the nation from further debt by passing a balanced budget mandate.”

The resolution now heads to the House of Representatives for approval. Rep. Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, is the principal House author.

Editor’s Note: Senator Allison Ikley-Freeman, representing Sand Springs, voted against the measure. Read the full resolution here. Standridge authored a similar bill (SJR4) in 2016 that also passed both houses.

SJR41 adds a section limiting the scope of the Convention of States to cover only the issues named in the resolution. SJR4 would have allowed amendments to be proposed for issues not named in the bill.

Similar bills have been passed by the legislatures in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia. Article V requires a two-thirds majority of states to call for a convention.