New Hampshire Becomes the 18th State to Call for a Federal Balanced Budget Amendment

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla., May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the New Hampshire Senate completed the process started by the House and passed HCR 40 making New Hampshire the 18th of 34 states needed to call an amendment convention to solely consider a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  This event marks a resurgence of the federalism our founders intended as the states use their constitutional powers granted in Article V of the U.S. Constitution to reign in out of control federal spending that is leading our nation into an economic abyss.

Representative Ulery (District 27), the House Sponsor, stated, "a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) will force Congress to do what they seem incapable of doing, that is reduce spending and tell the American people the truth about the cost of our nation's unfunded entitlement promises."

"The American people can prosper for generations if the states propose and ratify a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) that stops the trillion-a-year deficits and pays back the $15 trillion in debt. Fortunately our founders gave the states in Article V of our Constitution a powerful mechanism to restrain the federal government if it should abuse or exceed its limited delegated authority. Over 70% (CNN Poll) of Americans want a BBA and 38 states have the power to draft and approve one," said BBA Task Force Co-founder David Biddulph.

New Hampshire legislators have taken an innovative approach to answering the concerns of some that a convention to solely consider a Balanced Budget Amendment could propose an unrelated amendment. State Senator Fenton Groen (District 6) sponsored and the Senate approved (SB 356), which, has been amended in the House to limit the authority of New Hampshire delegates to an Article V amendment convention to only consider the subject matter contained in the state's resolution.  The passage of this legislation will make New Hampshire the first state in the nation to criminalize and recall "faithless" delegates to an amendment convention.

Scott Rogers, Executive Director of the Balanced Budget Amendment Task Force noted, "Every delegate from New Hampshire to a U.S. constitutional amendment (drafting) convention shall be required to take an oath to only vote on the amendment subject approved by the legislature. Any vote taken by a delegate at the convention in violation of their oath will be null and void. Any delegate making this vote shall be immediately recalled, replaced and face criminal charges from the State of New Hampshire."

The Balanced Budget Amendment Task Force is a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to educate state legislators on their Constitutional power to propose and ratify a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that aims to quadruple family income and pay off the nation's debt within four generations.

To learn more about our national campaign for a Balanced Budget Amendment, visit us at http://www.bba4usa.org and Twitter at BBA4USA.

Contact: Scott Rogers, Executive Director Cell: 904-521-6690 Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Balanced Budget Amendment Task Force: www.BBA4USA.org