Committee hears testimony supporting Convention of States resolution as debt remedy

Chair Hall called House Joint Resolution 2 for its third hearing and heard multiple witnesses who urged the committee to advance the Convention of States resolution.

Witness Michael Farris circulated a law-review article by Governor Greg Abbott and outlined the fiscal rationale for the resolution. Farris said the national debt had risen from roughly $18 trillion (2015) and $19 trillion (2016) to about $38 trillion today and urged members that "we've talked about it long enough in Ohio. Please, let's get this done." He framed the resolution as a tool to check runaway federal spending and debt.

Bill Geraci, an insurance agency owner from Sunbury, testified that federal regulation raises employer health-insurance costs and estimated that "about 15% of the premium" could be tied to federal rules; he used a $50,000-a-year compliance example for a small employer and said such costs can reduce hiring or raises. Geraci argued that when policy decisions are made closer to home, they can be "faster, cheaper, and more humane," and he urged lawmakers to consider state-level solutions to reduce costs tied to federal regulation.

Virginia Morgan offered a historical and civic appeal, invoking colonial-era comparisons and urging members to be "brave" and pass HJR2 so Ohio can be the twentieth state to adopt the resolution. She characterized the measure as a way to "course correct" national policy for future generations.

Committee members asked questions about outside influence if authority returned to states, and witnesses said influence is already present at the federal level and that state action would at least make it more monitorable. The committee concluded the third hearing on HJR2; no committee vote on the resolution was recorded in the transcript.

What’s next: The committee concluded the third hearing on HJR2; further committee action or scheduling was not recorded in the transcript.