When it comes to amending the U.S. Constitution, Congress has shown respectful behavior to one type of action by states: state decisions on ratification of amendments proposed by Congress. But when it comes to states invoking Article V’s option for a convention of state delegates to propose amendments, Congress has, for the entire history of the nation, blatantly and illegally ignored those state applications.
As part of
FOAVC’s project to make available all such Article V Convention applications for
public scrutiny, it has made an important observation. Congress has failed
miserably (most likely by design) at its duty to track and keep a count of all
Article V Convention applications (so that they will know when two thirds of the
states have met the prerequisite number for a peremptory Article V
Convention).
Similar to ratification
actions, Congress has categorized these as "memorials" from the states.
Congress has referred these "memorials" to the House and Senate judiciary
committees where they die, and are filed away in a multitude of volumes of
printed Congressional Records (which we have painstakingly collected below),
making it very difficult to keep an accurate count.
Also, please see the following Congressional Record which clearly demonstrates that the requisite number
of states (i.e. two thirds or more) have already requested an Article V
Convention, and Congress on has ignored their peremptory duty to call an Article V Convention:
