Committee hears Convention of States resolution; proponents emphasize fiscal restraints, term limits and safeguards

Chairman Corvaci introduced House Resolution (House Bill) 5385 to request a convention of states under Article V of the U.S. Constitution limited to three topics: imposing fiscal restraints on the federal government, limiting the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and imposing term limits on federal officials, including members of Congress.

Ross Maher testified for the proponents and outlined procedural safeguards built into the state’s proposed commissioner-selection process. Maher and other witnesses rejected the “runaway convention” argument as historically inaccurate, saying any proposals from a convention would still require ratification by three-quarters of the states (currently 38) and that multiple institutional safeguards — limited stated topics, commissioner commissions, and recall/penalty mechanisms — can prevent delegates from exceeding their mandate. Maher said 19 states have passed substantially similar resolutions, and he urged Rhode Island to participate.

Supporters who testified included Barbara Lardner, Dr. Victoria (a veteran and community member), Jennifer Rice, Peter Chaffee, Dave Wilder (a volunteer regional captain from Massachusetts) and Haley Shaw, regional director for Convention of States, who supplied public-opinion figures during her testimony (she said 68 percent of Americans support a meeting of the states on the three topics; 88 percent support term limits; and 50.9 percent trust state legislators more than Congress). Haley Shaw and other witnesses said a convention would be difficult to complete without broad consensus and that ratification would still require approval by 38 states.

Opponents did not appear in large numbers on the transcript; the committee completed a lengthy hearing with testimony from multiple pro-convention witnesses. No committee vote on the resolution was recorded at the hearing.