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GOP Lawmakers In Arizona To Plan Balanced Budget Convention

www.tripsavvy.com

Lawmakers from 19 states are set to convene at the Arizona Capitol to plan for a constitutional convention that would propose a federal balanced budget amendment.

The four-day meeting that begins Tuesday is designed to set the stage if 34 state Legislatures approve a call to amend the Constitution through a convention. Currently, 27 states have active requests to convene a convention, all controlled by Republicans.

A convention has never successfully been used to propose an amendment, and all 27 that have been adopted were proposed by Congress. But a balanced budget amendment is a core goal of conservative Republicans that have gained growing control of state Legislatures in recent years.

Arizona will host 75 delegates this week, all Republicans. State Rep. Kelly Townsend says efforts to invite Democratic states have not been successful.

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