Boston, MA  – Today, Senate Majority Leader Cindy Creem (D-Newton) and House Assistant Majority Leader Alice Hanlon Peisch (D-Wellesley) announced the joint filing of resolutions (HD.5295)/SD.3332) to rescind all previous applications for a convention under Article V of the U.S.  Constitution. This joint initiative is in response to concerns that Congress and the Trump Administration can use prior Massachusetts resolutions calling for an Article V constitutional convention to advance their own political agenda. This could have broad and sweeping implications on our current protections under the U.S. Constitution.

An Article V Convention is a process outlined in the U.S. Constitution allowing states to propose amendments if two-thirds (34) of the state legislatures call for it. An Article V Convention could open the entire Constitution to unpredictable changes, as there are no clear guidelines or limitations on what delegates could propose. While an Article V convention has never been called before in American history, there is recent conservative momentum to add up all active resolutions to meet the two-thirds threshold.

“Rescinding these outdated resolutions is an important step towards securing our rights under the Constitution. Calls for an Article V constitutional convention open the door to rewriting the very principles that have guided our democracy since its inception,” said Senate Majority Leader Cindy Creem (D-Newton). “Massachusetts has always been a leader in strengthening, not destabilizing, the foundations of our communities – and today Leader Peisch and I are proud to continue that tradition.”

“I am honored to partner with Leader Creem on this important initiative. Given the uncertainty surrounding an Article V convention, such a process could present a serious threat to the U.S. Constitution, our democracy, and the civil rights and liberties that are the foundation of our nation,” said House Assistant Majority Leader Alice Hanlon Peisch (D-Wellesley). “Rescinding these outdated resolutions gives the people of the Commonwealth a
meaningful voice to safeguard the values we all hold and closes a door that never should have been opened.”

“In today’s divided political climate, a Constitutional Convention would create chaos and endanger the freedoms Massachusetts residents hold dear,” said Geoff Foster, Executive Director of Common Cause Massachusetts. “By rescinding outdated calls for an Article V convention, this new joint resolution will protect our Constitution from powerful special interests and ensure that any effort to twist the math to reach the 34-state threshold cannot include Massachusetts.”

With this action, Massachusetts would join states including Connecticut (2025), Washington (2025), New York (2024), Illinois (2022), New Jersey (2021), Colorado (2021), and 20 other states in rescinding prior resolutions calling for an Article V convention.

Going forward, the resolution will be subsequently reviewed in the Rules Committee of each chamber, then sent to a Joint Committee for a hearing.