Heartland Institute Experts Comment on Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Call for an Article V Convention

Published January 8, 2016

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) unveiled the “Texas Plan” on Friday during the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s annual policy orientation. Abbott’s plan calls for nine new amendments to the Constitution of the United States including a balanced budget requirement, congressional term limits, and giving states the authority to override decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Abbott becomes the second high-profile elected official in about a week to endorse an Article V convention. Presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) announced on December 30 that he supports an Article V convention for a balanced budget amendment along with term limits for members of Congress.

The following statements from constitutional reform experts at The Heartland Institute – a free-market think tank – may be used for attribution. For more comments, refer to the contact information below. To book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Director of Communications Jim Lakely at [email protected] and 312/377-4000.


“Gov. Abbott should be commended for his willingness to endorse an Article V convention and realizing that Washington, DC is not able to fix our problems. A state-led constitutional reform effort is the only way to prevent another slow economic recovery from ever happening again.”

Kyle Maichle
Project Manager, Constitutional Reform
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000


“I applaud Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in supporting the states acting under Article V of the U.S. Constitution to call for a Convention of the States to propose Constitutional amendments to be ratified by the states that would restrict the increasingly oppressive runaway powers seized by the federal government.

“Abbott proposed a comprehensive plan of nine such amendments that would require a balanced federal budget, limit the regulatory powers of the federal government to economic activity that crosses state lines, limit the federal government to powers delegated to it by the Constitution, prohibit federal bureaucrats in administrative agencies from creating federal law through their regulatory dictates, and empower the states to override federal laws or regulations, or Supreme Court decisions, with a two-thirds majority.

“Such amendments are badly needed to restore the original concept of the rule of law to America. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott previously served as the longest running attorney general in the history of Texas, where he learned of the problems he is addressing first hand.”

Peter Ferrara
Senior Fellow for Entitlement and Budget Policy
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000


“Gov. Abbott’s call for an Article V Convention is a welcome step towards reforming the flaws we see today in our Constitution. Although the Founding Fathers were great men, things they may have dismissed as hypothetical edge cases are now real problems, and even a great document like the Constitution is not perfect. Other governors and elected officials should take heed and put their collective mind power towards advancing this noble goal of constitutional reform.”

Jesse Hathaway
Managing Editor
Budget & Tax News
Research Fellow
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000


The Heartland Institute is a 32-year-old national nonprofit organization headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000.