ATLANTA – State Representative Timothy Barr (R-Lawrenceville) recently attended a meeting of the Assembly of State Legislatures (ASL) where legislators established the rules needed to hold a state-led convention for proposing amendments to the U.S. Constitution and concluded with the signing of a resolution in support of the proposed rules package. More than 60 state legislators representing 30 states attended the meeting in Philadelphia, including Georgia State Representatives Andy Welch (R-Locust Grove), Wendell Willard (R-Sandy Springs) and Bruce Williamson (R-Monroe).
“It is been my privilege to be a delegate from Georgia and represent our state in these important discussions,” said Rep. Barr. “I look forward to continue to stay involved as we collectively press forward with this initiative. I believe the founders of our great Republic gave direct responsibility to the state legislatures in our Constitution because they knew there would come a time when the federal government would need to be reined in.”
The Assembly met for two days at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, where participating state lawmakers debated, amended and voted to approve a draft to address all aspects of the rules needed to hold a state-led convention for proposing amendments to the U.S. Constitution, should one be called by the states in the future. Georgia’s delegation joined the majority of states in approving the proposed rules.
Article V of the U.S. Constitution authorizes 34 states to call a convention for proposing amendments to the Constitution. However, no such convention has ever been held in the history of the country, and there are no specifications for how the convention is to be conducted in the Constitution.
The Assembly of State Legislatures is a bipartisan organization of currently serving state legislators which gathers annually to discuss the process and define the rules for conducting a state-lead convention to amend the Constitution of the United States.
For more information on ASL, please click here.
Representative Timothy Barr represents the citizens of District 103, which includes portions of Hall and Gwinnett counties. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2012, and currently serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government, Code Revision, Health & Human Services, Motor Vehicles and Natural Resources & Environment committees.
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