Texas experienced the first victory of the 2017 legislative session when the Senate State Affairs Committee voted to send the Convention of States resolution, SJR 2, on to the Senate floor for consideration by the entire chamber. The vote was 6-2, with Senators Birdwell, Creighton, Schwertner, Hughes, Nelson, and Huffman voting in favor of the resolution. Senators Zaffirini and Lucio were opposed, with Senator Estes absent due to illness.
The principal author of SJR 2, Senator Brian Birdwell, opened the discussion by laying out the need for an Article V convention. "I believe we're at the precipice of history that we've not seen before," he said. "For years, we have watched the executive, judicial and legislative branches usurp more and more power from the states, issuing dictates that become de facto law by either completely bypassing the legislative branch or acting upon issues the federal government has no constitutional authority to manage or act upon." The time has come for states need to act, Birdwell explained, because Congress has shown itself unwilling to address our broken federal system.
Senator Brandon Creighton (left) questions Senator Brian Birdwell about SJR 2 and SB 21.
Unlike many of these events, this hearing was held in the grand Senate chamber itself, surrounded by portraits of great statesmen from Texas' past. Over sixty supporters of SJR 2, wearing Convention of States buttons, filled the chairs around the edge of the Senate chamber during the hearing, with some overflowing into the gallery above. Twenty-eight of these offered oral and/or written testimony, far outnumbering the opposition.
Brent Dunklau of Dallas emphasized that fears of a runaway convention based on the 1787 Constitutional Convention are not rooted in historical fact. "The Framers didn't cheat or cut corners, they did it by the book," he said. "And we're doing it by the book today." He urged the committee to "use the Constitution to save the Constitution."
The youngest person to testify, Jonah Blackmon, said that he was speaking on behalf of his generation who has never known anything other than a huge, overreaching federal government. "I'm sure I'm not the only one among my peers that have asked ourselves if our own children or grandchildren will grow up in a world that sees the dissolution of the United States." He believes the nation needs to rely on the wisdom of our Founding Fathers and the fail-safe they placed in Article V.
Art Bedford and Kimberly Burlington sign up to testify at the hearing.
Angie Turner, flanked by Bill Thoreson and Barry Schlech, urges support of SJR 2.
A complete recording of the hearing is available on the Texas Senate web site.
The committee approved two other bills during the same hearing. SB 21, the "Faithful Delegate Act," specifies the rules and procedures by which delegates to a convention of states will be selected and held accountable to the Texas state legislature. This bill passed also passed 7-1.
A third piece of legislation, SJR 38, has the effect of rescinding all previous Article V convention resolutions prior to the 2017 session. It was felt that this action would provide a clean slate to any Article V convention that might come about as a result of the current effort and avoid any ambiguity as to the scope of its subject matter. This resolution was approved 8-0, with Lucio abstaining.
Please contact these committee members and thank them for their respectful consideration of SJR 2 during the committee hearing, and their "Yes" vote after the hearing concluded. Remind them that you are one of thousands of constituents who "have their back!":
| District | Senator | Phone | |||
| 17 | Joan Huffman | (512) 463-0117 | joan.huffman@senate.texas.gov | Joan Huffman FB | @JoanHuffman |
| 1 | Bryan Hughes | (512) 463-0101 | bryan.hughes@senate.texas.gov | Bryan Hughes FB | @SenBryanHughes |
| 22 | Brian Birdwell | (512) 463-0122 | brian.birdwell@senate.texas.gov | Brian Birdwell FB | @SenatorBirdwell |
| 4 | Brandon Creighton | (512) 463-0104 | brandon.creighton@senate.texas.gov | Brandon Creighton FB | @SenCreighton |
| 12 | Jane Nelson | (512) 463-0112 | jane.nelson@senate.texas.gov | Jane Nelson FB | @SenJaneNelson |
| 5 | Charles Schwertner | (512) 463-0105 | Charles.Schwertner@senate.texas.gov | Charles Schwertner FB | @DrSchwertner |
And contact these Senators to encourage their consideration of a "Yes" vote on SJR 2 during next week's floor debate and vote:
