Eagle Forum National Constitutional Issues Chairman
Janine Hansen, 775-397-6859, director@nevadafamilies.org
www.eagleforum.org. eagle@eagleforum.org
March 23, 2025
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On March 12th the Idaho House defeated HCR 10, 26 to 44. It contained 3 Article V Constitutional Convention applications, a Balanced Budget Amendment, a Convention of States, and Term Limits. Now to force the People’s House to pass an Article V Balanced Budget Amendment, Idaho Governor Little is hosting Florida Governor DeSantis on Monday, March 24, at 9:30 am in a press conference that is not open to the public. Governor Little endorsed the BBA in his State of the State in 2024.
President Trump and Elon Musk are working hard to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse and balance the federal budget. We should give them the opportunity and not put our freedoms and Constitution at risk. (See below why a BBA won't work.)
Please contact Governor Brad Little. 208-334-2100
Email form: https://gov.idaho.gov/contact-us/
MESSAGE: We oppose an Article V Constitutional Convention for Balanced Budget Amendment. Please don’t put our Constitution, our liberties, and Idaho at risk in a Convention that will include all the deep blue states like California and New York. (Or better yet leave your own message). Be sure if you are from Idaho to let him know.
Then Please THANK the House Members who voted NO on HCR 10, the 3 combined Article V Constitutional Convention applications.
MESSAGE: Thank you for voting no on HCR 10. Please continue to vote to protect our Constitution and our liberties. (Or better yet write your own message.)
KAndrus@house.idaho.gov, VBar@house.idaho.gov, RBeiswenger@house.idaho.gov, JBoyle@house.idaho.gov, CBruce@house.idaho.gov, TBurgoyne@house.idaho.gov, LCayler@house.idaho.gov, RCheatum@house.idaho.gov, LClow@house.idaho.gov, JCornilles@house.idaho.gov, BEhardt@house.idaho.gov, RFurniss@house.idaho.gov, KHarris@house.idaho.gov , DHawkins@house.idaho.gov,
DHealey@house.idaho.gov, WendyHorman@house.idaho.gov, CHostetler@house.idaho.gov, DLeavitt@house.idaho.gov,
KMarmon@house.idaho.gov, RMendive@house.idaho.gov, SMickelsen@house.idaho.gov, JNelsen@house.idaho.gov,
JPetzke@house.idaho.gov, MPohanka@house.idaho.gov, EPrice@house.idaho.gov, CRasor@house.idaho.gov, BRaybould@house.idaho.gov, JRaymond@house.idaho.gov, MSauter@house.idaho.gov, HScott@house.idaho.gov, CShepherd@house.idaho.gov, STanner@house.idaho.gov, FThompson@house.idaho.gov, JWeber@house.idaho.gov,
TWisniewski@house.idaho.gov, TAchilles@house.idaho.gov, SBerch@house.idaho.gov, MChurch@house.idaho.gov, MEgbert@house.idaho.gov, SGalaviz@house.idaho.gov, JGannon@house.idaho.gov, BGreen@house.idaho.gov, CMathias@house.idaho.gov, IRubel@house.idaho.gov,
HCR 10: Article V Constitutional Convention with 3 Separate Applications Including the Balancing the Federal Budget, from Convention of States: imposing fiscal restraints on the Federal Government, limiting the power and jurisdiction of the Federal Government and Term Limits.
Copy of HCR 10: https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2025/legislation/HCR010.pdf
Chief Justice Warren Burger is the highest authority in the United States to ever speak out on a Constitutional Convention. He stated: “I have also repeatedly given my opinion that there is no effective way to limit or muzzle the actions of a Constitutional Convention. The Convention could make its own rules and set its own agenda. Congress might try to limit the Convention to one amendment or to one issue, but there is no way to assure that the Convention would obey. After a Convention is convened, it will be too late to stop the convention if we don’t like its agenda…”
http://www.eagleforum.org/topics/concon/pdf/WarrenBurger-letter.pdf
More information from Eagle Forum:
https://eagleforum.org/topics/concon.html
Janine Hansen
Eagle Forum National Constitutional Issues Chairman,
director@nevadafamilies.org, eagle@eagleforum.org
Leading the Pro-Family movement since 1972, Pro-Life, Pro Constitution, and Pro Limited Government
A Balanced Budget Amendment Just Won’t Work
Like We’d Like It To Work
The only way to balance a budget is to raise taxes or cut spending? There is no requirement in Article V Balanced Budget applications like Idaho’s that prohibits tax increases and in case of an “emergency,” the balance budget requirements would have to be set aside.
Idaho receives 41.08% of its state revenue from the Federal Government. Idaho would have to raise taxes if a Balanced Budget Amendment was adopted.
State Legislators, both Republicans and Democrats, continue to vote for Federal Mandates and money. How can they honestly say they support limiting spending by the Federal Government when they continue to vote to take more money from the Feds?
The Balanced Budget sounds very good to conservatives. We wish there was an easy way to reign in the out-of-control spending of the Federal Government. However, the Constitution is not the problem. The Federal Government has ignored the Enumerated Powers listed in the Constitution and spends money on countless things that are not authorized by the Constitution, like education. If a Balanced Budget Amendment was in the Constitution it would make matters worse by actually constitutionally authorizing Federal Spending outside of the Enumerated Powers.
An Article V Convention should be of great concern, especially to conservative states like Idaho. Article V does not tell us how many delegates there will be or how they will be selected. But, “Between 1973 and 1992, 22 bills were introduced in the U.S. House and 19 in the U.S. Senate that sought to establish a procedural framework that would apply to an Article V Convention…The Senate… passed the ‘Federal Constitutional Convention Procedures Act,’ on two separate occasions; as S 215 in 1971 and as S 1272 in 1983.” Although these bills did not pass Congress, they asserted Congress’s intent on setting the formula for delegates and all other procedures for an Article V Convention. Source Congressional Research Service, April 11, 2014.
https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/20140411_R42589_f565d06c544815456eb3805d4f52c2b5749d36b7.pdf
These bills called for proportional representation of States based on the formula for the Electoral College, which adds the state’s number of Congressmen and 2 Senators, not one vote per state. So, Idaho would have 4 votes and California 54 at a Convention. As a conservative that’s very scary.
In 2012 the National Republican Committee adopted a Resolution opposing all Article V Constitutional Convention applications and for good reason. Their Resolution still stands.
With all of these concerns about a BBA, the greatest concern is that an Article V Constitutional Convention cannot be limited.
Phyllis Schlafly the founder of Eagle Forum often quoted Chief Justice Warren Burger as the highest authority in the United States to ever speak out on a Constitutional Convention. He stated: “I have also repeatedly given my opinion that there is no effective way to limit or muzzle the actions of a Constitutional Convention. The Convention could make its own rules and set its own agenda. Congress might try to limit the Convention to one amendment or to one issue, but there is no way to assure that the Convention would obey. After a Convention is convened, it will be too late to stop the convention if we don’t like its agenda…”
http://www.eagleforum.org/topics/concon/pdf/WarrenBurger-letter.pdf
In addition, in 2015 the New Jersey Law Journal reported that Supreme Court Justice “Scalia called it ‘a horrible idea’ to hold a constitutional convention in this age of special interests.”
What can we do with an out-of-control Federal Government? Elections are a big answer. State Legislators can refuse federal mandates and federal money. One encouraging sign is that States have realized they can push back against Federal Bullying. Texas is a prime example. They have passed laws to deal in their state with the massive illegal immigration invasion and 25 state Governors are supporting them. This is very encouraging. The American people are waking up because of the invasion at the Border, bankrupt education, inflation, the Covid lockdown and vaxx, and the rigged election.
What else do we RISK? California, which will be a participant in an Article V Constitutional Convention, passed in September of last year an application for an Article V Convention which completely guts the Second Amendment. Eagle Forum has long contended that an Article V Constitutional Convention for proposing amendments would result in the loss of our Second Amendment Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms. In addition, we know the Electoral College would be in jeopardy because already 16 states and the District of Columbia have passed the National Popular Vote Compact. In this world saturated by the “woke” agenda we also risk losing our Freedom of Speech and the Free Exercise of Religion. Free Speech and Religion are obstacles to the imposition of the Radical Left’s view of their Socialist Society.
The Balanced Budget Amendment won’t work. Let’s not take a chance on losing our precious fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
https://smartasset.com/data-studies/states-most-dependent-on-the-federal-government-2022
California passed an Article V Convention application in 2023 which guts the Second Amendment. https://eagleforum.org/topics/2nd-amendment/article-v-constitutional-convention-threatens-our-second-amendment.html
