	Introduction

Article V of the U.S. Constitution provides two alternatives for amending the nation's fundamental charter: proposal of amendments to the states by vote of two-thirds of the Members of both houses of Congress, and proposal by a convention called as a result of applications from two-thirds of the states, the "Article V Convention." From the 1960s to the 1980s, supporters of Article V Conventions mounted vigorous but ultimately unsuccessful campaigns to call conventions to consider such issues as school busing to achieve racial balance, restrictions on abortion, apportionment in state legislatures, and a balanced federal budget. Since approximately 2010, after more than 20 years of comparative inaction, the Article V Convention alternative has drawn a new generation of supporters. Advocacy groups across a broad range of the political spectrum are pushing for conventions to consider various amendments. This report provides information for Members of Congress and congressional staff on current developments in Congress, the states, and the advocacy community on the Article V Convention alternative. Two companion reports provide more exposition and analysis of this issue: CRS Report R42592, The Article V Convention for Proposing Constitutional Amendments: Historical Perspectives for Congress ; and CRS Report R42589, The Article V Convention to Propose Constitutional Amendments: Contemporary Issues for Congress . Convention advocacy groups listed below are identified in greater detail later in this report. Balanced Budget Amendment Task Force (balanced federal budget amendment) claims 28 applications, including related "legacy" applications of the 1970s and 1980s. 1742 , the "Article V Records Transparency Act of 2017," introduced in the 115 th Congress by Representative Luke Messer, would require the National Archives to make an organized compilation of all state applications for, and rescissions of applications for, an Article V Convention. Upon completion, the Archivist of the United States would transmit physical and electronic copies to the chairs of the Judiciary Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives for public availability. This is the consideration and proposal of amendments to limit the authority of the federal government. This organization advocates an Article V Convention to propose an amendment that would reverse what it refers to as the "corporate personhood" aspects of the Supreme Court's Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission decision. Current Developments in Congress

The Article V Convention issue continues to receive attention in the 115 th Congress, including (1) the aforementioned establishment of House of Representatives procedures for receipt and publication of state applications for a convention, (2) introduction of a proposed concurrent resolution to effectuate the Compact for America's Compact for a Balanced Budget, and (3) introduction of proposed legislation to authorize an official compilation by the National Archives of all Article V Convention applications received from the states. Publication of State Applications by the Clerk of the House of Representatives

In the 114 th Congress, the House of Representatives established new procedures for the receipt and publication of state memorials related to the convention issue, including both applications for a convention and rescissions of previous applications. 5 , which provides rules for the House and reads as follows:
Providing for Transparency With Respect to Memorials Submitted Pursuant to Article V of the Constitution of the United States.—With respect to any memorial presented under clause 3 of Rule XII purporting to be an application of the legislature of a State calling for a convention for proposing amendments to the Constitution of the United States pursuant to Article V, or a rescission of any such prior application—
(1) the chair of the Committee on the Judiciary shall, in the case of such a memorial presented in the One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, and may, in the case of such a memorial presented prior to the One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, designate any such memorial for public availability by the Clerk; and
(2) the Clerk shall make such memorials as are designated pursuant to paragraph (1) publicly available in electronic form, organized by State of origin and year of receipt. The Clerk's website has also recorded 21 rescissions from 20 states at the time of this writing. 115th Congress Legislative Proposals

Two proposals directly related to the Article V Convention movement have been introduced to date in the 115 th Congress. H.R. 73—Compact for a Balanced Budget

On July 26, 2017, Representative Luke Messer introduced H.Con.Res. Current Developments in the States

In recent years, measures proposing applications for one or more of the alternative Article V Convention proposals have been introduced in many states. As noted earlier in this report, to date in 2017, three states have submitted applications for a balanced budget amendment as proposed by the BBA Task Force effort, four have joined the Convention of States Project, and one has applied for the Compact for America's Compact for a Balanced Budget.
Article V of the U.S. Constitution provides two procedures for amending the nation's fundamental charter: proposal of amendments by Congress, by a vote of two-thirds of the Members of both houses, and proposal by a convention, generally referred to as an "Article V Convention," called on the application of the legislatures of two-thirds (34) of the states. Amendments proposed by either method must be ratified by three-fourths (38) of the states in order to become part of the Constitution. This report provides information for Members of Congress and congressional staff on current developments in Congress, the states, and the relevant advocacy and policy communities concerning the Article V Convention alternative.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, supporters of Article V Conventions mounted vigorous but ultimately unsuccessful campaigns to call conventions to consider amendments related to diverse issues, including school busing to achieve racial balance, abortion restrictions, apportionment in state legislatures, and, most prominently, a balanced federal budget.
After more than 20 years of comparative inaction, the past decade has seen a resurgence of interest in, and support for, the Article V Convention alternative. Congress has responded to this development, particularly requests for broader public availability of state applications for a convention. In the 114th Congress (2015-2017), the House of Representatives provided for registration and public availability on the Clerk of the House's website of state memorials related to the convention issue received since the beginning of that Congress. The rules, which remain in effect for the 115th Congress, direct the chair of the Judiciary Committee to provide new convention applications and rescissions of previous applications to the Clerk for publication. They also authorize publication, at the chair's discretion, of applications for a convention previously forwarded to Congress.
Relevant legislation has also been introduced in the 115th Congress. On March 27, 2017, Representative Luke Messer introduced H.R. 1742, the "Article V Records Transparency Act of 2017." This proposed legislation would direct the National Archives to make an organized compilation of all state applications and rescissions of applications for an Article V Convention currently held in its various collections. The Archives would also be directed to transmit physical and electronic copies to the Judiciary Committee chairs of the Senate and House of Representatives. One relevant constitutional amendment has also been introduced to date in the 115th Congress, H.Con.Res. 73. This measure, introduced by Representative Messer on July 26, 2017, would "effect" the Compact for America's Interstate Compact for a Balanced Budget, summon an Article V Convention, and propose the amendment approved by the convention to the states for ratification.
Non-governmental advocacy groups across a broad range of the political spectrum continue to campaign for conventions to consider various amendments. Some of the issues and sponsoring organizations include a revival of the balanced budget amendment convention proposed in the 1970s-1980s (Balanced Budget Amendment Task Force); an interstate compact to call a convention and propose—and prospectively ratify—a balanced budget amendment (Compact for a Balanced Budget); an amendment or amendments to restrict the authority of the federal government (Convention of States); and an amendment to permit regulation of corporate spending in election campaigns, which is intended to nullify parts of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (Wolf PAC).
Activity continues in the states. According to one source, approximately 175 applications for one or more of the several pending Article V Convention variants have been introduced in the legislatures of 40 states to date in 2017. At the time of this writing, the Balanced Budget Amendment Task Force claims 28 applications, many of which originated in the 1970s and 1980s; the Convention of States claims 12; and the Compact for America and Wolf PAC each claim five.
Two additional CRS Reports address other aspects of this issue. CRS Report R42589, The Article V Convention to Propose Constitutional Amendments: Contemporary Issues for Congress, identifies and analyzes the contemporary role of Congress in the Article V Convention process in greater detail. CRS Report R42592, The Article V Convention for Proposing Constitutional Amendments: Historical Perspectives for Congress examines the procedure's constitutional origins and history and provides an analysis of related state procedures.
This report will be updated as warranted by events.