Hawkeye Reporter

Supporters of the Article V Convention of States claim that they have seen a renewed vigor for their cause as many people have flocked to the organization to learn more about its efforts.

"At the beginning of 2021, we had just over 20,000 Iowans who had signed the Convention of States petition," Karen Schuster, state director of Convention of States Iowa, told the Hawkeye Reporter. "It took seven years to get to that point. Since then, our volunteers have worked to spread the word about the Convention of States, a message of hope for our country given to us in our Constitution. As a result, Iowa now has over 40,000 petitioners, twice the number from a year ago."

On Feb. 10, the Convention of States proposal (Senate Joint Resolution 2004) went through the Iowa legislature at the State Government Committee. It now goes to the senate.

Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum recently called for the backing of the Convention of States resolution and hopes that leaders will soon act on the bill. He sees the federal government as being in tailspin, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch. 

According to the organization, the resolution has been passed in 17 states and needs 34 to enact a convention with Wisconsin and Nebraska the two latest states to pass the resolution. 

The Convention of States says that a probable constitutional amendment would restrict the "power and jurisdiction" of and enact fiscal limits on the federal government, “or those that would create term limits for federal officials.”

The Convention of States organization backs amendments that would impose limitations on the size and scope of the federal government. It does not support a constitutional convention or one that would completely redo the constitution, as opposed to an amending convention, which would provide amendments to the constitution.