Subject: TN COSP – Proposed FCL Part 1: How You Can Literally Make History – Now and Later
YOU can make history both now and during an Article V Convention.
You can make history now by ensuring that Tennessee passes the most comprehensive Faithful Commissioner Law in the country – and, by doing so, ensure that YOU can make history during the Article V convention process. Imagine it: YOU may be the person who proposes the 28th amendment!
Unfortunately, the current TN Article V law does not guarantee you a say in the process. YOU should be guaranteed a say in the qualifications of a commissioner. YOU should be guaranteed the opportunity to apply to be a commissioner. YOU should be guaranteed the chance to propose amendments to be considered at the convention. YOU should be guaranteed a say in which amendments are supported by Tennessee’s commissioners at the convention. YOU should be guaranteed a say whether the amendments proposed at the convention should be ratified.
As it stands now, Tennessee law does not guarantee you those rights and privileges. It does not guarantee that YOUR voice is heard throughout the process.
This is the first in a series of articles about the TN COSP’s Faithful Commissioner Law (FCL) – a proposal to update and expand the current law to, among other things, ensure YOU have a say in the Article V convention process – giving you the opportunity to literally make history.
We need YOU to contact your state lawmakers and ask them to update and expand Tennessee’s Article V convention law during the 2018 General Assembly starting in January, 2018 to make sure YOU have a voice throughout the process.
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THREE MINUTE CLICK-BY-CLICK ACTION PLAN!
Please take three minutes now to identify and call your state rep and senator. Here are the click-by-click instructions:
Go to the Tennessee General Assembly website: http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/Apps/fml/districts.aspx
Under “Find My Legislator” on the right, type in your street address and city and click “search”.
Pictures of your state representative and Senator will appear.
Click on the pictures of your state representative and senator and give them a quick call.
Tell them simply that you want them to expand Tennessee’s Article V Convention Law to guarantee you have a say in every step of the convention process. Tell them to contact the Convention of States Project leadership team for details about the law.
Forward this article to your friends and neighbors.
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You might be asking, “Isn’t this a bit early? The convention hasn’t been called yet.” Actually, its past time.
All Article V conventions, not just COSP. There is more than one Article V convention effort. Some of them may reach the necessary two-thirds of states (34) to call a convention within 1 to 3 years. Our proposed law is NOT specific to our application effort – it applies to ALL Article V conventions. The proposed law will help ensure YOUR voice in any convention.
Now is the time to be preparing. We should use this time wisely before a convention is called to be as prepared as possible. If we wait until a convention is called, we may rush too much, make mistakes or miss opportunities. Our goal is to get the maximum results out of any convention by preparing well in advance.
Tennessee can and should lead other states. We want other states to take the actions we are proposing before any Article V convention is called. If we improve the TN law this year, that will give other state legislatures the chance to see what we have done and update their laws in the next year or two.
In the next article, we will discuss the strengths of the existing law but also how it is lacking in key details. In subsequent articles, we will discuss how the TN COSP FCL addresses those details.
Please contact your lawmakers today and ask them to inquire about the proposed law and support our efforts to guarantee YOUR VOICE in the Article V convention process.
-- TN COSP Leadership Team
