Senator Schuitmaker offered the following concurrent resolution:

            Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 14.

            A concurrent resolution to memorialize Congress to adopt and submit to the states for ratification an amendment to the United States Constitution to provide for a means of amending the Constitution through a convention limited to the consideration of a specific amendment as proposed by at least two-thirds of the states.

            Whereas, The United States Constitution provides for two ways that this fundamental document may be amended. In its nearly two and one-quarter centuries, it has only been amended by one of these two methods. All amendments to date have been initiated by Congress and then submitted to the states for ratification. The option that has never been used, a constitutional convention, has not been pursued, most scholars agree, because of the fear that any convention could turn into a runaway convention dealing with much more than a single issue; and

            Whereas, There is a strong sense among the American people that government spending has been out of control for many years and that the acceleration of this trend is a major threat to our nation's strength and the prosperity of our children and grandchildren. This problem, which has been long in the making, can, in the opinion of many, best be addressed permanently through an amendment to our Constitution to establish more appropriate budgeting requirements; and

            Whereas, Another area of grave concern is the longstanding trend of the federal government to burden the states with unfunded mandates. This is also an issue area that would be best addressed through stronger constitutional protections for the states; and

            Whereas, A proposal that is drawing increasing attention across the country is the so-called Madison Amendment to establish another means, initiated by the states, to amend the federal Constitution. The Madison Amendment, which was considered by the 111th Congress as H. J. Res 95, reads as follows:

"The Congress, on Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, which all contain an identical Amendment, shall call a Convention solely to decide whether to propose that specific Amendment to the States, which, if proposed shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified pursuant to Article V."

Under this amendment, the states would be able to submit to the Congress a request for a convention to consider a specific proposed amendment to the United States Constitution. When two-thirds of the states have submitted the identical proposal, the convention would be held to propose the amendment and submit it for ratification by three-quarters of the states. The amendment would then become part of the Constitution; and

            Whereas, Adoption of the Madison Amendment would restore accountability and balance to the federal government. The effective monopoly that Congress has on proposing amendments to the United States Constitution would end as the states would also gain this authority; and

            Whereas, With this safeguard against a runaway convention and this new responsibility entrusted to the states, there would be much better balance between Congress and the states. This would significantly strengthen our country; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That we memorialize Congress to adopt and submit to the states for ratification an amendment to the United States Constitution to provide for a means of amending the Constitution through a convention limited to the consideration of a specific amendment as proposed by at least two-thirds of the states; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.