Bill Text: TX HJR104 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced


Bill Title: Urging the Congress of the United States to propose for ratification an amendment to the United States Constitution which would prohibit, with one exception, the practice of abortion within the United States or in any place subject to their jurisdiction or, in the alternative, applying to Congress to call a convention, pursuant to Article V of that Constitution, for the specific and limited purpose of proposing such an amendment to that Constitution for ratification.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-03-20 - Referred to State & Federal Power & Responsibility, Select [HJR104 Detail]

Download: Texas-2017-HJR104-Introduced.html
  85R14160 E
 
  By: Shaheen H.J.R. No. 104
 
 
 
A JOINT RESOLUTION
  urging the Congress of the United States to propose for
  ratification an amendment to the United States Constitution which
  would prohibit, with one exception, the practice of abortion within
  the United States or in any place subject to their jurisdiction or,
  in the alternative, applying to Congress to call a convention,
  pursuant to Article V of that Constitution, for the specific and
  limited purpose of proposing such an amendment to that Constitution
  for ratification.
         WHEREAS, Innocent human life in the United States is entitled
  to the protection of American laws which ought not to be abridged by
  act of any legislative body or by any court's so-called
  "interpretation" of the Constitution of the United States; and
         WHEREAS, On January 22, 1973, the United States Supreme
  Court, in the case of Roe v. Wade (410 U.S. 113), legalized abortion
  on demand throughout the United States; and
         WHEREAS, The actions of judicial bodies in this nation have
  placed innocent human life in jeopardy by reason of age, biologic
  development, or status as not yet born; and
         WHEREAS, In the aforementioned Roe v. Wade decision, the
  U.S. Supreme Court nullified the laws of Texas--and numerous other
  states--relative to abortion and has misconstrued the
  U.S. Constitution in a way that permits the destruction of unborn
  human life; and
         WHEREAS, Of the 27 amendments thus far incorporated into our
  federal Constitution, four of them unmistakably were offered to
  reverse decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court:
               (1)  The 11th Amendment invalidated Chisholm v. Georgia
  (1793) by guaranteeing the immunity of states from lawsuits by
  citizens of another state or a foreign country;
               (2)  The 14th Amendment voided Dred Scott v. Sandford
  (1857) by guaranteeing the civil rights and citizenship of
  African-Americans;
               (3)  The 16th Amendment overrode Pollock v. Farmers'
  Loan and Trust Co. (1895) by expressly giving Congress the power to
  levy an income tax; and
               (4)  The 26th Amendment abrogated Oregon v. Mitchell
  (1970) by permitting individuals aged as young as 18 years to vote,
  in all federal, state, or local elections--uniformly nationwide;
  and
         WHEREAS, Article V of the U.S. Constitution allows the
  legislatures of the several states to apply to Congress for the
  calling of a convention to propose an amendment to that
  Constitution which amendment, if proposed and then ratified, would
  put an end to indiscriminate abortion on demand; and
         WHEREAS, Thus far, the legislatures of a number of states
  have already applied to Congress for the calling of such a
  convention to propose for ratification a federal constitutional
  amendment that would reverse Roe v. Wade, and its progeny, and those
  still-pending convention applications have been officially
  received by Congress as follows:
               (1)  The General Assembly of the State of Indiana in
  1973 (Senate Joint Resolution No. 8--Public Law No. 352) found with
  its verbatim text published in the Congressional Record of January
  21, 1974, at page 14, and duly referred to the United States
  Senate's Committee on the Judiciary;
               (2)  The General Assembly of the State of Missouri in
  1975 (Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 7) found with its verbatim
  text published in the Congressional Record of May 5, 1975, at page
  12867, and duly referred to the U.S. Senate's Committee on the
  Judiciary;
               (3)  The General Assembly of the State of Arkansas in
  1977 (House Joint Resolution No. 2) found with its verbatim text
  published in the Congressional Record of May 20, 1977, at pages
  15808 and 15809, and duly referred to the U.S. Senate's Committee
  on the Judiciary;
               (4)  The General Court of the Commonwealth of
  Massachusetts in 1977 (unnumbered resolution) found with its
  verbatim text published in the Congressional Record of July 1,
  1977, at page 22002, and duly referred to the U.S. Senate's
  Committee on the Judiciary;
               (5)  The Legislature of the State of New Jersey in 1977
  (Senate No. 1271) found with its verbatim text published in the
  Congressional Record of April 5, 1977, at page 10481, and duly
  referred to the U.S. Senate's Committee on the Judiciary;
               (6)  The General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island
  and Providence Plantations in 1977 (H-5159) found with its verbatim
  text published in the Congressional Record of May 20, 1977, at pages
  15808 (POM-188) and 15809 (POM-190), and duly referred to the
  U.S. Senate's Committee on the Judiciary;
               (7)  The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
  Kentucky in 1978 (House [Concurrent] Resolution No. 7) found with
  its verbatim text published in the Congressional Record of March
  23, 1978, at page 8266, and duly referred to the U.S. Senate's
  Committee on the Judiciary;
               (8)  The unicameral Legislature of the State of
  Nebraska in 1978 (Legislative Resolution No. 152) found with its
  verbatim text published in the Congressional Record of May 4, 1978,
  at page 12694, and duly referred to the U.S. Senate's Committee on
  the Judiciary;
               (9)  The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
  Pennsylvania in 1978 (House Bill No. 71 described as a "Joint
  Resolution") found with its verbatim text published in the
  Congressional Record of April 25, 1978, at page 11438, and duly
  referred to the U.S. Senate's Committee on the Judiciary;
               (10)  The Legislature of the State of Mississippi in
  1979 (House Concurrent Resolution No. 3) found with its verbatim
  text published in the Congressional Record of February 26, 1979, at
  page 3196, and duly referred to the U.S. Senate's Committee on the
  Judiciary;
               (11)  The Legislature of the State of Nevada in 1979
  (Senate Joint Resolution No. 27--File No. 117) found with its
  verbatim text published in the Congressional Record of June 25,
  1979, at page 16350, and duly referred to the U.S. Senate's
  Committee on the Judiciary; and
               (12)  The Legislature of the State of Alabama in 1980
  (Senate Joint Resolution No. 9--Act No. 80-281) found with its
  verbatim text published in the Congressional Record of May 8, 1980,
  at page 10650, and duly referred to the U.S. Senate's Committee on
  the Judiciary; and
         WHEREAS, While such amendatory proposals have been offered
  over the years by some of its members, Congress has nevertheless not
  acted upon the earnestly sought-after federal constitutional
  amendment--and further prodding in that regard is obviously needed;
  and
         WHEREAS, In The Federalist No.85, Alexander Hamilton
  advised that "[w]e may safely rely on the disposition of the State
  legislatures to erect barriers against the encroachments of the
  national authority" and the calling of a convention, as envisioned
  in Article V of the U.S. Constitution, would be an example of what
  Hamilton alluded to; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, By the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas,
  Regular Session, 2017, that the Congress of the United States be
  respectfully urged to propose, and submit for ratification, an
  amendment to the United States Constitution that would overturn Roe
  v. Wade and clearly prohibit the practice of abortion on
  demand--with the exception of saving the life of the
  mother--uniformly throughout the United States and in any place
  subject to their jurisdiction; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That if Congress does not propose such an amendment
  on its own initiative by December 31, 2018, then, in the
  alternative, the 85th Texas Legislature, pursuant to Article V of
  the U.S. Constitution, does hereby apply to Congress to call a
  convention for the purpose of proposing just such a constitutional
  amendment for ratification; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That Congress--or delegates to the convention, if
  called--be encouraged to consider, ponder, mull over, and
  contemplate the following recommended text, among any other
  possibilities, for such a proposed federal constitutional
  amendment:
  "ARTICLE ___
         "SECTION 1.  With respect to the right to life, the
  word 'person' as used in this Article and in the Fifth and
  Fourteenth Articles of Amendment to this Constitution applies to
  all human beings, irrespective of age, health, function, or
  condition of dependency, including their unborn offspring at every
  stage of such unborn offspring's biological development.
         "SECTION 2.  No unborn person shall be deprived of life by
  any person; provided, however, that nothing in this Article shall
  prohibit a law permitting only those medical procedures necessary
  to prevent the death of the mother, as a result of the pregnancy,
  and as determined by the opinions of at least two competent and
  credentialed medical professionals.
         "SECTION 3.  The Congress, and the several states, shall
  have power to enforce this Article by appropriate legislation.";
  and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That the convention application component of this
  joint resolution be automatically rescinded if:
               (1)  Congress itself proposes for ratification the
  desired federal constitutional amendment, either prior to, or
  within 90 calendar days after, the legislatures of two-thirds of
  the several states have made similar application requesting a
  convention for the exclusive purpose of proposing such an
  amendment;
               (2)  The U.S. Supreme Court officially rules that a
  convention of this type cannot be limited exclusively to
  consideration of only one particular proposed amendment covering
  only one specific topic; or
               (3)  A convention assembled pursuant, in part, to this
  joint resolution in some way, form, or fashion, strays from or
  transcends the confined purpose and restricted subject matter as
  specified in this joint resolution; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That, except as otherwise provided in this joint
  resolution, its convention application component is hereby
  established as a continuous and ongoing such application, in
  accordance with Article V of the federal Constitution, until such
  time as:
               (1)  The Texas Legislature deems fit to rescind it; or
               (2)  At least two-thirds of the legislatures of the
  several states shall have similarly applied for a convention
  strictly to propose a federal constitutional amendment limited to
  the same subject matter and Congress shall have fully performed its
  constitutionally-obligated duty to actually call that convention
  when Congress is presented with valid applications from the
  requisite number of state legislatures demanding that Congress do
  so; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That, in a manner which would furnish confirmation
  of delivery and tracking while en route, the Secretary of State of
  the State of Texas shall transmit properly certified copies of this
  joint resolution--pursuant to the Standing Rules of the United
  States Senate, namely, Rule VII, paragraphs 4, 5, and 6--to the
  Vice-President of the United States (in his capacity as presiding
  officer of the U.S. Senate and addressed to him at Suite No. S-212
  of the United States Capitol Building); to the Secretary and
  Parliamentarian of the U.S. Senate; and to both United States
  Senators representing Texas; accompanied by a cover letter to each
  addressee drawing attention to the fact that it is the 85th Texas
  Legislature's courteous, yet firm, request that the full and
  complete verbatim text of this joint resolution be duly published
  in the U.S. Senate's portion of the Congressional Record, as an
  official memorial to the U.S. Senate, and that this joint
  resolution be referred to whichever committee(s) of the U.S. Senate
  that would have appropriate jurisdiction over this joint
  resolution's subject matter; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That, in a manner which would furnish confirmation
  of delivery and tracking while en route, the Secretary of State of
  the State of Texas shall likewise transmit properly certified
  copies of this joint resolution--pursuant to the Rules of the
  United States House of Representatives, namely, Rule XII, clauses 3
  and 7--to the Speaker, Clerk, and Parliamentarian of the U.S. House
  of Representatives; and to all members of the U.S. House of
  Representatives who represent districts in Texas; likewise
  accompanied by a cover letter to each addressee drawing attention
  to the fact that it is the 85th Texas Legislature's courteous, yet
  firm, request that the substance of this joint resolution be duly
  entered in the U.S. House of Representatives' portion of the
  Congressional Record, as an official memorial to the U.S. House of
  Representatives, and that this joint resolution be referred to
  whichever committee(s) of the U.S. House of Representatives that
  would have appropriate jurisdiction over this joint resolution's
  subject matter.
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