Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to the power of the several States to propose amendments to the Constitution.

Constitutional Amendment - Provides that if the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States, in a seven-year period, adopt and submit to the Clerk of the Supreme Court an identical amendment to the Constitution related to but one subject, that amendment shall be valid as a part of the Constitution, without any action being required by the Congress. Provides that: (1) each State shall retain the power to rescind its amendment until the earlier of expiration of the seven-year period or the date of receipt of the identical amendment from three-fourths of the several States; and (2) no State shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate without its consent.

Requires the Supreme Court to rule whether the amendment is related to one subject only within 60 days after receiving the amendment from ten States. Provides that if the Court fails to rule on the issue within such period, the amendment shall be conclusively presumed to meet the-one subject standard. Invalidates the amendment if the Court rules that it fails to meet such standard.

[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H.J. Res. 93 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 93

    Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States 
 relating to the power of the several States to propose amendments to 
                           the Constitution.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 31, 1997

Mr. Goode introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred 
                   to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
    Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States 
 relating to the power of the several States to propose amendments to 
                           the Constitution.

    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House 
concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an 
amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be 
valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when 
ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States 
within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:

                              ``Article--

    ``In addition to other methods established in this Constitution for 
proposing amendments to this Constitution, whenever the legislatures of 
three-fourths of the several States shall propose and adopt an 
identical amendment to this Constitution, related to but one subject, 
that amendment shall be valid as a part of this Constitution, without 
any action being required by the Congress, upon receipt by the Clerk of 
the Supreme Court of certified copies of that amendment from States 
which represent three-fourths of the several States; provided that the 
Clerk receives such certified copies within a seven-year period 
beginning on the date the Clerk receives the first certified copy of 
the proposed amendment; that each State shall retain the power to 
rescind its action to propose and adopt the amendment until the 
expiration of the seven-year period or the date of receipt by the Clerk 
of certified copies of the same amendment from three-fourths of the 
several States, whichever first occurs; and that no State, without its 
consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.
    ``Upon receipt from the first ten States of the identical proposed 
amendment, the Supreme Court shall within sixty days thereafter rule 
whether the amendment is, in fact, related to one subject only. If the 
Supreme Court rules that the amendment is related to but one subject, 
or if the Supreme Court fails to rule on the issue within the sixty 
days, the amendment shall be conclusively presumed to meet the one-
subject standard. If the Supreme Court rules that the amendment fails 
to meet the one-subject standard, the proposed amendment shall be 
invalid.''.
                                 <all>