Convention of States forum Monday in Nashville

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Nationally syndicated talk radio host Phil Valentine will be moderating a legislative forum in Nashville Monday on the calling of a constitutional convention to rein in federal government growth and spending.

The event, hosted by Convention of the States, is being held with the goal of getting a Senate Joint Resolution passed by the Tennessee House in the coming session.

Convention of the States is a project launched by Citizens for Self-Governance with "the purpose of stopping the runaway power of the federal government," according to the group's Web page.

SJR0067, which is co-sponsored by Republican senators Mark Green of Clarksville and Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro, passed the Senate during the 2015 legislative session by a vote of 23-5.

The purpose of the measure is to call an Article V Convention of States that will be "limited to proposing amendments to the United States Constitution that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress."

This push for a Convention of States has been active the past couple of years, and has had its resolution introduced in 41 states since 2014. The measure also has passed its first committee vote in 21 state legislatures, passed its first floor vote in 15 states and has been fully approved by the legislature in four states, said Norman Bobo, Tennessee Convention of States' deputy state director.

The four states that have fully approved the measure are Alabama, Alaska, Florida and Georgia.

The organization is hoping to limit the "practice of lifetime government service" for elected officials, as well as "dramatically reduce the size and scope of the federal government," Bobo told The Leaf-Chronicle last week.

Additionally, convention proponents hope to be able to limit the runaway spending that's not been addressed by anyone at the federal level, Bobo said. He pointed to the national debt — sitting at $18.4 trillion — and explained that the country has only a few years "before we go off a financial cliff, or we go off a political cliff."

Also joining the organization at the forum to discuss the issue will be Rep. Jay Reedy of Erin.

"The Convention of the States folks have done a great job of getting the information out, and there’ll be a lot of good information made available at the meeting on Monday," Reedy said last week.

However, the organization is not without its opponents.

Shawn Meehan, founder of the Guard the Constitution Project, contacted the The Leaf-Chronicle last week to share some concerns, chief among them that the convention will not abide by the restrictions and will instead become a "runaway convention," making a drastic overhaul to the U.S. Constitution.

In an e-mail last week, Meehan said his organization believed in defending the Constitution, not amending it. "The problem is not The Constitution. The problem is we do not follow The Constitution," the e-mail read.

Bobo told The Leaf-Chronicle over the weekend that these issues will be among those discussed at the forum, and he urged anyone with questions to attend.

The forum will kick off at 7 p.m. Monday at the Millenium Maxwell House Hotel at 2025 Rosa L. Parks Blvd. in Nashville. Guests must register at the Eventbrite.com page for the Convention of States legislator forum.

Reach government and education reporter Alexander Harris at 931-245-0742, or on Twitter at @ACHarris_Leaf.