Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday called for a Constitutional Convention in response to recent executive actions by President Obama and decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Though a national gathering is allowed under the U.S. Constitution, it would require approval by 34 states to happen. Then, if the convention were to occur and it backed changes to the Constitution, proposed amendments would then require ratification by 38 states.
Abbott did not call for a special legislative session in Texas to approve it, but is rather leaving the issue to the 2017 legislation session, according to the Houston Chronicle.
According to a Abbott, a Republican, his call for a Constitutional Convention is centered around a proposal to require Congress to balance its budget. But it does not stop there.
In a 92-page document titled “Restoring the Rule of Law,” Abbott’s plan of nine new constitutional amendments would require a seven-justice supermajority vote of the U.S. Supreme Court for decisions that invalidate a “democratically enacted law.” The plan would also allow U.S. Supreme Court decisions to be overridden if two-thirds of states unite against them.
In addition, the amendments proposed would allow a two-thirds majority of states to override a federal law or regulation and prohibit administrative agencies from “creating federal law” or “preempting state law.”
On Wednesday, republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio also called for a constitutional convention to restore “limited government.”
“This method of amending our Constitution has become necessary today because of Washington’s refusal to place restrictions on itself,” the Florida senator wrote in a USA Today op-ed.
