ATLANTA — State Sen. Cecil Staton says there are some serious problems with the federal government, and he has filed a proposal that puts Georgia at the front of a national campaign to change the U.S. Constitution.

“The United States Congress has clearly demonstrated that they are unwilling to control their spending,” said Staton, R-Macon, and sponsor of Senate Resolution 736.

The resolution calls for several amendments to the Constitution, including federal spending limits.

“Since Congress refuses to be fiscally responsible on their own, it is time for the states to pass an amendment that ensures the protection of our financial interests,” Staton said.

State legislatures have the power to band together and demand such changes under Article V of the Constitution. But it’s something that’s never been done in the 226-year life of the document.

“The Founding Fathers were pretty common-sense people. They knew that there might be an occasion when the federal government got out of control. … They wanted to give the states a way to check that,” said Michael Farris, constitutional attorney and head of the Convention of States Project, the group that’s coordinating the push.

Georgia is among the first of five states to consider an Article V resolution, according to the organization, and it could be the first to pass it. In another 11 states, their search for sponsors is well underway or finished.