Text of proposed
BALANCED BUDGET
AMENDMENT
ARTICLE 28 (or alternate number to be assigned by Congress)
Section 1.
It is the right of citizens to enjoy a fiscally sound and debt free federal
government which is foundational to a free people and must not be violated by
the State.
Section 2. It is hereby mandated that the United States
Congress will conduct the fiscal affairs of the United States Government
according to the requirements of this Article.
For a .pdf copy of the Balanced Budget Amendment go to:
Balanced Budget Amendment.
For a .pdf copy of the Delegate Resolution for
the BBA go to:
BBA Delegate Resolution.
for a .pdf copy of the Application on Congress go
to: Application on Congress
Click photo for Balanced Budget Amendment video - distribute link to
others:
http://youtu.be/iUWWclxBm4Y
Section 3. A Balanced
Federal Budget consists of accurately assigning the sum of all federal
receipts (which includes all tax revenues and all other sources of government
income) to pay for all Federal expenditures within the current year and with
the mandate not to allow expenditures to exceed revenue and income. The
following exceptions apply:
1. In time of war or national emergency the United States
Congress can authorize expenditures to exceed income and revenue as is
required to protect the interests and security of the United States and its
citizens. However, the United States Congress is required to amortize the
repayment of any debt incurred over a maximum of ten years from the end of the
war or national emergency. The United States Congress is prohibited from
extending the repayment of the debt beyond ten years which includes the
repayment of monies borrowed and any interest and other costs that may have
accrued in order to service said debt. Congress can repay the debt, in full,
in less than ten years, but must pay no less than 1/10th of the original
amount owed by the Government, including interest and other costs, in each
remaining year of the ten year term, unless the balance is less than 1/10th of
the original amount.
2. The United States Congress is
authorized to allow expenditures to exceed revenues and income when in the
collective wisdom of two thirds of the members of both Houses of the United
States Congress it is necessary to do so. However, the United States Congress is
required to amortize the repayment of any debt incurred over a maximum of five
years from the date said debt was authorized by Congress. The United States
Congress is prohibited from extending the repayment of said debt beyond five
years which includes the repayment of monies borrowed and any interest and other
costs that may have accrued in order to service said debt. Congress can repay
the debt, in full, in less than five years, but must pay no less than 1/5th of
the original amount owed by the Government, including interest and other costs,
in each remaining year of the five year term, unless the balance is less than
1/5th of the original amount.
Section 4. The United States Congress is prohibited from taking
any debt that may remain from previous year deficits and include it as part of a
new deficit expenditure in current or future years. The repayment of any
previous years debt, as defined in Section 3 and Section 6., is a Federal
expenditure to be repaid as part of a balanced Federal budget in a current year
and/or future year(s) as mandated in this Article.
Section 5. It is further prohibited for the United States
Congress to extend the repayment of any and all debt incurred beyond the time
lines required in this Article.
Section 6. All current debt owed by the United State Government
at the time this Article is ratified, including accrued interest and other costs
to service said debt, must be repaid by the United States Congress within 20
years from the date this Article is ratified by the several States. Congress can
repay the current debt, in full, in less than twenty years, but must pay no less
than 1/20th of the original amount owed by the Government, including interest
and other costs, in each remaining year of the 20 year term, unless the balance
is less than 1/20th of the original amount.
Section 7. To secure the rights of citizens to enjoy a fiscally
sound and debt free federal government, which is foundational to a free people,
it is hereby prohibited for the United States Congress to allow federal
expenditures to exceed federal revenue and income, in any given year, as
mandated by the requirements and allowances of this Article.
Section 8.
Any elected or non-elected government official, or any non-government individual
or organization, who intentionally obstructs or prevents the implementation of
any provision in this Article shall have committed a criminal offense and shall
be subject to impeachment (when applicable) and criminal prosecution and upon
conviction serve up to five years in prison.
Section
9. Individual States shall have authority
to prosecute violators of this Article under State laws in the absence of
Federal prosecution after 90 days from the date of the alleged violation.
Multiple prosecutions, by multiple States, for the same alleged crime are
prohibited.
Section 10. This Article shall be immediately enforceable upon
the United States Congress when ratified by the State Legislatures of three
quarters of the several States.
For a .pdf copy of the Balanced Budget Amendment go to:
Balanced Budget Amendment.
For a .pdf copy of the Delegate Resolution for
the BBA go to:
BBA Delegate Resolution.
for a .pdf copy of the Application on Congress go
to: Application on Congress
Click photo for Balanced Budget Amendment video - distribute link to
others:
http://youtu.be/iUWWclxBm4Y
Delegate Resolutions
Controlling the Single Issue Federal Convention
Article V Analysis
From the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution
*Donations are not
tax deductible.
There is a serious
Constitutional crisis looming.
Your support is needed to help Citizen Initiatives secure the ratification
of the Balanced Budget Amendment through a "Single Issue" Amendment
Convention under Article IV, 4 and Article V of the United States Constitution.
The Amendment is presently advancing in 50 States with 32 States already Calling
on Congress to convene a Convention. It is urgent that we secure a special
Delegate Resolutions between the Calling States assuring
that the Convention will be a "Single Issue" Convention restricting the
delegates to only one Convention decision - Should the Balanced Budget
Amendment. as written in the Delegate Resolution. be sent to the
States for ratification?". All other deliberations at the Convention will
not be authorized or allowed. The Calling States alone determine the terms,
conditions, duration and agenda at the Convention. The delegates, summoned
by Congress and appointed by the State Legislatures, are AMBASSADORS of their
States, they are not independent agents. The State Legislatures have the
authority to limit and control the appointed delegates at the Convention, not
Congress or the Courts. Through a separate Delegate Resolution
only 26 Calling States will control the Convention.
Since the
economic downturn in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, 321 States
made legislative calls for a Federal Balanced Budget Amendment.
Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado,
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland,
Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North
Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota,
Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wyoming
None of the 32 Calling States entered into a
protective agreement that would define the terms, conditions and agenda at the
Convention for their delegates. If two more States complete a Call on Congress, we would have
an undefined Convention controlled by the delegates, not the Calling States.
As many as 17 States have since rescinded their Calls, but there is nothing in the
Constitution authorizing the States the option of rescission. Congress
could ignore the rescissions and convene the Convention for political reasons.
WE MUST STOP THIS PORTENDING CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS. It is imperative that
the Balanced Budget Amendment Committee secure Delegate Resolutions from between
26 to 34 Calling States before the last two States make Calls. We need your
help. Join our team in your State. We
need State Directors, Regional Directors, Legislative Directors, Coordinators
and
Contributors.
Please make your
donation by clicking this secure Pay Pal link:
Donations.
A great many State Legislators, as well as
organizations such as the Goldwater Institute and ALEC, support Single Issue
Federal Conventions.
With Delegate Resolutions we offer the only way to safely convene and conduct the Convention's affairs at
the Balanced Budget Amendment Federal Convention.
Citizen Initiatives
Balanced Budget Amendment Federal
Convention
P.O. Box 523
Spruce Pine, NC 28777-0523
director@citizeninitiatives.org
1
Montana recently introduced a Resolution to its Legislature Calling for a
BBA. If the Resolution is approved by both Houses it will become
the 33rd State to complete a Call on Congress for a Convention.
Balanced Budget
Amendment Book