Convention Of States Legislation Passes Texas Senate

The Texas Senate has passed a trio of measures, calling for a convention to amend the U.S. Constitution. The effort now moves to the state House of Representatives.

Governor Greg Abbott made the call for a Convention of States one of his emergency items for the legislative session. House Speaker Joe Straus hasn't shown the same level of enthusiasm for a convention as Abbott or other state leaders. But that's likely to make little difference in the end.

"My guess is that an emergency item is an emergency item, and the Speaker will let it go through," says Jon Taylor, chair of the political science department at the University of Saint Thomas. "I can also say that there are enough supporters in the House that even if Straus doesn't want it, enough Republican supporters in the House, that you could still see the thing get through."

The three measures – SB 21, SJR 2, and SJR 38 — all hinge on using Article V of the Constitution to call for a national convention. The aim of such a convention would be to pass a series of amendments limiting the power of the federal government, including imposing term limits on members of Congress.

So far eight other states have adopted legislation similar to Texas'. The Constitution requires two-thirds of the states to do so before a convention can take place, 34 states out of the total 50.