STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-THREE
_____
JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING SEPARATE APPLICATIONS TO
THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES CALLING
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS TO CONSIDER
REPRESENTATIONAL INTEGRITY AND PROPOSE
AMENDMENTS ESTABLISHING TERM LIMITS FOR CONGRESS
AND ADDRESSING CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
WHEREAS, the United States Constitution, Article V places substantial authority and
responsibility upon the legislatures of the several states to ensure that the Federal Government
and each of its branches remain within their enumerated powers and remain protective of the
rights of the people; and
WHEREAS, a variety of important movements have arisen within the legislatures of the
several states to address a wide variety of concerns that may be appropriately addressed within
the context of Article V of the United States Constitution; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature of Maine wishes to address these various approaches in a
bipartisan manner; and
WHEREAS, an agreement to call for a convention under Article V of the United States
Constitution does not commit the Legislature of Maine to approve any proposal that may arise
from any subsequent convention; rather, this Legislature is simply exercising its will to engage
in a formal process with other states to give full and authoritative consideration to various
proposals consistent with the topics expressed by this joint resolution; and
WHEREAS, under the United States Constitution, Article V, the Congress of the United
States, whenever two-thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments
to the United States Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the
several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments that, in either case, shall be
valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the United States Constitution, when ratified by the
legislatures of three-fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three-fourths thereof, as
the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED: That the Legislature of Maine hereby applies to the Congress of the United
States, under the provisions of Article V of the United States Constitution, to call a convention
of the states limited to proposing an amendment to the United States Constitution to set a limit
on the number of terms that a person may be elected to the United States House of
Representatives and to set a limit on the number of terms that a person may be elected to the
United States Senate; and be it further
RESOLVED: That this application is intended to address the same subject matter as
applications from other states under the provisions of Article V of the United States
Constitution to call a convention to set a limit on the number of terms that a person may be
elected to the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate; and this
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application must be aggregated with the same for the purpose of attaining the two-thirds of
states necessary to require Congress to call a limited convention on this subject, but may not
be aggregated with any other applications on any other subject; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the Legislature of Maine hereby applies to the Congress of the United
States, under the provisions of Article V of the United States Constitution, to call a convention
of the states limited to proposing an amendment to the United States Constitution to regulate
the role of money in elections and governance to ensure transparency, prevent corruption,
protect against the buying of access to or influence over representatives and overturn the
decision of the United States Supreme Court in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election
Commission and related cases; and be it further
RESOLVED: That this application is intended to address the same subject matter as
applications from other states under the provisions of Article V of the United States
Constitution to call a convention to regulate the role of money in elections and governance to
ensure transparency, prevent corruption, protect against the buying of access to or influence
over representatives and overturn the decision of the United States Supreme Court in the case
of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and related cases; and this application must
be aggregated with the same for the purpose of attaining the two-thirds of states necessary to
require Congress to call a limited convention on this subject, but may not be aggregated with
any other applications on any other subject; and be it further
RESOLVED: That these applications constitute continuing applications in accordance
with Article V of the United States Constitution until the legislatures of at least two-thirds of
the several states have made applications on the same subjects; and be it further
RESOLVED: That suitable copies of this resolution, duly authenticated by the Secretary
of State, be transmitted to the Secretary of the Senate and presiding officers of both houses of
the legislatures of each of the several states in the nation, the Speaker and Clerk of the United
States House of Representatives, the President and Secretary of the United States Senate and
each member of the Maine Congressional Delegation.
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