• Mount Vernon Assembly Gets a New Name

• Louisiana Adopts 24th BBA-Focused A5 Application

• Vermont Adopts Application for Article V Convention

• A Progress Report on Article V Activities

• Texas GOP Adopts Platform Plank Supporting Article V

• Florida Outlines Protocol for Article V Delegate Selection

• Citizens Getting Involved in Push for Article V Convention

• Efforts Blocked in Arizona to Adopt Article V Bills

• Herman Cain Announces Support for Use of A5

105 Legislators Attended Second Mount Vernon Assembly

Thirty-three states were represented at the June 12-13 Mount Vernon Assembly… described as a planning session. The group, initially named for the place of its first meeting (last December), is now known as The Assembly of State Legislators.

For the most part, attendees were selected by their state’s legislative leaders. They had to go through a “credentialing” process and security before being allowed into the Indiana Statehouse Chamber. There had been some pre-meeting threats, so security measures were strict. Fortunately, security issues did not materialize.

After opening comments by Ohio Rep. Matt Huffman, the bipartisan meeting was turned over to Assembly co-chairs Kenneth Marshall (Rep – RI) and Chris Kapanga (Rep – WI) who broke the Assembly into three committees.

The initial committees (Rules & Procedures; Judiciary; Planning, Communications & Finance) were each given a printout of Committee Responsibilities. Depending on the committee, that sheet listed 10 to 13 items (questions) the committee was expected to address, to assist a future Article V convention of states.

Many of the wide-ranging questions have already been answered by historical research, but for the most part they have never before been subjected to review and authentication by any authoritative group of political leaders such as the Assembly.

On the second day of the Assembly the delegates formally elected committee chairs and co-chairs. They also considered an initial set of recommended rules for a future Article V convention. No specific amendment proposals were discussed.

The bipartisan group also adopted a resolution calling for another meeting (probably in early December, probably for 3 days this time, and maybe in Georgia), with committee work to continue between now and then. Their goal is to be able to consider adoption of specific proposals at their next meeting.

New Web site: www. theassemblyofstatelegislatures .org/

Email: info@ theassemblyofstatelegislatures .org/

Louisiana Adopts 24th BBA-Focused Article V Application

On May 15th Louisiana became the 24th state to adopt a BBA-focused application for an Article V convention of the states. The LA House had earlier passed the joint resolution (HCR 70), by a vote of 89 to 0. Then the LA Senate approved the application by a vote of 36 to 0… making LA the first state to unanimously adopt the Article V application.

Vermont Adopts Article V Application –

Article V is now being employed by a group known as Wolf-Pac. They report that on May 2 the Vermont legislature adopted their resolution (JRS 27), authored primarily by Harvard Law Professor Larry Lessig.

The Vermont application calls for a convention “for the sole purpose of proposing amendments … that would limit the corrupting influence of money in our electoral process … overturning the Citizens United decision.”

Progress Report on Article V Activities – As of June 2014

This is a summary of Article V-related activity across the US in the past year:

The BBA Task Force:

In just the past 8 months single-subject BBA-focused Article V applications have been fully adopted in OH, TN, MI, GA, FL and LA. The Task Force now reports it has 24 valid state applications toward the 34 needed. BBA-focused applications have also been approved in one house in both AZ and WI.

More info at: http://www.bba4usa.org/. David Biddulph, odemocracy@aol.com, 386-478-9304.

Citizens for Self Governance:

The Convention of States (CoS) project by Citizens for Self-Governance is now 10 months old. In that time the group has seen its multiple-subject application filed in 14 states, with one still expected to be filed this year (NJ); had their application adopted in 3 states (AK, FL, and GA); had their application approved in one house in 2 more states (AL and AZ); and has been formally defeated in only 1 state (VI).

They report that they now have over 100,000 supporters, 16,500 volunteers, 84 national grassroots leaders appointed in 38 states, and District Captains organizing in 447 state legislative districts across the country.

More info at: http://conventionofstates.com/