00 CS FOR HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 14(STA) 01 Making application to the United States Congress to call a convention of the states to 02 propose a countermand amendment to the Constitution of the United States as provided 03 under art. V, Constitution of the United States; and urging the legislatures of the other 04 49 states to make the same application. 05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 06 WHEREAS the state's sovereignty has been infringed upon by the federal 07 government, including by the federal government's recent denial of and refusal to work with 08 state officials on the construction of a lifesaving road from King Cove to Cold Bay; and 09 WHEREAS the state's right and duty to provide for the utilization, development, and 10 conservation of natural resources for the maximum benefit of the people has been continually 11 infringed on by various federal agencies; and 12 WHEREAS the United States Congress has, at times, exceeded its delegated powers, 13 the President of the United States has, at times, exceeded the constitutional authority of the 14 office of the President of the United States, and the federal courts have, at times, exceeded 15 their authority by issuing decisions on public policy matters reserved to the states in violation 01 of the principles of federalism and separation of powers, all of which have adversely affected 02 the state and its people; and 03 WHEREAS, under the authority of art. V, Constitution of the United States, the 04 several states should apply to the United States Congress to call a convention of the states to 05 amend the United States Constitution and adopt a countermand amendment to authorize the 06 states, upon a vote of three-fifths of the state legislatures, to nullify and repeal a federal 07 statute, executive order, judicial decision, regulatory decision by a federal government 08 agency, or government mandate imposed on the states by law that adversely affects the 09 interests of the states, in order to properly exercise the states' constitutional authority to check 10 federal power, preserve state sovereignty, and protect the rights of the states and the people; 11 and 12 WHEREAS the states have the authority to define and limit the agenda of a 13 convention to a single-issue "countermand amendment convention" called for by the states as 14 provided under art. V, Constitution of the United States; and 15 WHEREAS the delegates sent by the states to a countermand amendment convention 16 shall have the limited authority to deliberate on and decide whether the countermand 17 amendment, as preapproved by state legislatures, should be sent back to the state legislatures 18 for ratification; 19 BE IT RESOLVED that, under art. V, Constitution of the United States, the Alaska 20 State Legislature directs the United States Congress to call a single-issue convention of the 21 states, called a "countermand amendment convention," for the sole purpose of deciding 22 whether the proposed countermand amendment should be sent back to the state legislatures 23 for ratification; and be it 24 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature directs the United States 25 Congress to convene the countermand amendment convention within 60 days after the date it 26 receives the 34th call for that convention from state legislatures; and be it 27 FURTHER RESOLVED that this application constitutes a continuing application in 28 accordance with art. V, Constitution of the United States, until at least two-thirds of the 29 legislatures of the several states have applied for a similar convention of the states; and be it 30 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the legislatures of 31 the other 49 states to apply to the United States Congress to call a single-issue countermand 01 convention of the states under art. V, Constitution of the United States. 02 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of 03 the United States; the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and 04 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable John Boehner, Speaker of the U.S. House of 05 Representatives; the Honorable Mitch McConnell, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the 06 Honorable Nancy Erickson, Secretary of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Karen L. Haas, Clerk 07 of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Dan 08 Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the 09 Alaska delegation in Congress; and the presiding officers of the legislatures of each of the 10 other 49 states.