Kansas House committee hears testimony on SCR 1604, an application for an Article V convention

The Kansas House committee held a hearing on SCR 16‑04 on an application for an Article V convention, where proponents urged legislators to ask Congress to call a limited convention to propose amendments constraining federal spending, limiting federal jurisdiction and imposing term limits, while opponents warned the move could be legally uncertain and allow broader topics such as gun policy or abortion to be considered.

Mike Haim of the Revisor's Office told the committee that the resolution, which he said passed the Senate 29‑11 on Feb. 27, asks the Kansas Legislature to apply to Congress under Article V of the U.S. Constitution to call a convention limited to three topics: fiscal restraints on the federal government, limits on federal power and terms of federal office. "It's a little broader than some of them," Haim said during his opening remarks.

Supporters including Bob Strouder, a Convention of States volunteer, and Ben Terrell, who identified himself as the volunteer legislative liaison for Convention of States in Kansas, argued the states must act because they view Congress and federal agencies as…