Governor Greg Abbott called on Texas Friday afternoon to lead the push for nine amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Abbott made the announcement during his closing speech at the 14th Annual Policy Orientation for the Texas Legislature.

“I am adding another item to the agenda for the next legislative session,” Abbott said. “I want legislation authorizing Texas to join other states in calling for a convention of states to fix the cracks in our broken constitution.”

The Governor released a 70-page plan just before taking the stage, calling it the “Texas Plan”, where he outlined nine proposed amendments.

Abbott’s nine proposed amendments:

  • Prohibit Congress from regulating activity that occurs wholly within one state.
  • Require Congress to balance its budget.
  • Prohibit administrative agencies from creating federal law.
  • Prohibit administrative agencies from preempting state law.
  • Allow a two-thirds majority of the states to override a U.S. Supreme Court decision.
  • Require a seven-justice super-majority vote for U.S. Supreme Court decisions that invalidate a democratically enacted law.
  • Limit federal powers to those expressly delegated to it in the Constitution.
  • Give state officials the power to sue in federal court when federal officials overstep their bounds.
  • Allow a two-thirds majority of the states to override a federal law or regulation.

“Until we fix the foundation by restoring the rule of law in this nation,” Abbott said, “the repairs that we seek through the policies you propose will never lead to lasting solutions.”

The goal, according to Abbott, is to limit the power of the federal government, and give more power to the states. The amendments would allow states to override federal laws and Supreme Court decisions if two-thirds of the states disagreed.

“The court frequently departs from what the constitution actually says,” Abbott said, “and, instead, the court amends the constitution itself by injecting words and concepts that are nowhere found in the constitution.”

If Texas lawmakers approve of Abbott’s “Texas Plan” when the next legislative session convenes in 2017, Robert Henneke with the Texas Public Policy Foundation says Abbott would then need to seek the approval of 34 states.

“The number of states have to come together, ban together, demanding an Article V convention that’s guaranteed under the constitution,” Henneke said. “And both sides of the political spectrum should want the rule of law to be obeyed and the constitution to be upheld.”

Following Abbott’s announcement, the Texas Democratic Party Deputy Executive Director Manny Garcia released the following statement:

“Unfortunately, the most pressing issue for Imperial Republican Governor Greg Abbott is how we can tear apart the Constitution and take America back to an equivalent of the Articles of Confederation. America added 292,000 new jobs in December. But under Abbott, Texas fell to sixth in job creation, remains the uninsured capitol of the nation, wages and incomes remain far too low for hardworking families, our neighborhood schools are still underfunded, and college education is slipping out of reach. Texas families deserve serious solutions, not Tea Party nonsense.

To view Governor Abbott’s full plan, CLICK HERE.