In response to skyrocketing national debt and waning public confidence in political leaders in Washington, D.C., State Senator Robert Singer has introduced a resolution urging Congress to call for an Article V Convention of States.

The proposed convention would be held for the purpose of requiring a balanced federal budget, imposing term limits, and revising the method for awarding electoral votes.

“Our nation is headed in the wrong direction and this will help turn it around,” said Singer (R-30). “Imprudent and irresponsible federal spending is to blame for a crushing national debt that threatens our economy and national stability in the near future. A balanced federal budget will help control wasteful spending and strengthen the nation’s financial foundation.”

Singer’s resolution, SCR-143, states: “The founding fathers of our nation created a mechanism within our federal Constitution to provide state legislatures with the means to call for amendments to that Constitution, which may be used to address potential abuses of power within the federal government.”

Article V of the U.S. Constitution gives states the power to call a Convention of States to propose amendments. To call the convention, the support of 34 states are needed, and 38 states are required to ratify any proposed amendments.

“A constitutional convention should not be entered into lightly,” Singer noted. “As a nation, we are facing an imminent crisis, and the convention may be our best hope to bring things back under control.”

The New Jersey resolution also proposed term limits on elected officials and judicial appointments to the Supreme Court.

“It is clear that the public has lost confidence that their representatives in Washington are acting in the best interests of the country, instead prioritizing projects to help themselves win reelection,” said Singer. “It needs to be easier for new faces and fresh voices to break the logjam that prevents them from changing the status quo in D.C. A constitutional amendment limiting the terms and bringing an end to the glut of life-long elected officials is long overdue, but it will never happen without a Convention of the States.”

An amendment changing the distribution of electoral college votes for presidential candidates to the Congressional District Method currently used in Maine and Nebraska is also supported in Singer’s resolution.