by Mark Levin

Amendments to the U.S. Constitution can be good or bad for our country but with direction our leaders are taking us, many conservative political pundits are coming up with suggestions to help curb the abuses from our three branches of government. The attachment comes directly from Mark Levin’s book in his appendix. Rick Hankins, a Pachy member spoke on this topic, February 21.

First off, remember our Constitution was created to limit our leaders’ actions when they are in power. Today, they have forgotten who they serve and why they serve. Not all of these amendments will survive as states try the second option to amend our Constitution – 2/3 of State Legislatures calling for a convention for proposing Amendments to the U.S. Constitution; ratification requires ¾ of the State Legislatures to be proposed to Congress (Article 5).

Here are some brief highlights of Mark Levin’s 10 amendments. Please take the time to read the attached .pdf where his suggested Amendments go into more detail. (Liberty Amendments)

1. Term Limits for members of Congress; there shall be a limit of 12 years in both Houses. Any incumbent member of Congress whose term exceeds the 12 year limit shall complete the current term but thereafter be considered ineligible for further service as a member in Congress.

2. Repeal the 17th amendment. State legislatures shall choose their Senators as prescribed by Article 1. A senator may be removed from office by 2/3 vote of the State Legislature. If a vacancy should occur, the governor of the state shall appoint an individual to complete the term.

3. Term limits for Supreme Court Justices to be 12 years in length; there will be a creation of 3 classes so terms limits for the justices will be staggered so that one-third of the justices will be chosen every 4th year. Vacancies will be filled by the President with the majority approval of the Senate. Both House and Senate may override Supreme Court decisions by ¾ majority vote.

4. Limiting Federal Spending and Taxing – if a budget is not signed by the President an automatic 5% reduction in expenditures from the prior year’s fiscal budget shall be imposed. Total spending for any fiscal year cannot exceed its receipts for that year and shall not exceed 17.5% of the nation’s GNP (gross national domestic product) for the previous calendar year.

a. Limit debt shall not be increased unless 3/5 of both Houses vote to increase the debt; this vote will be made by roll call.
b. Congress shall not collect more than 15% of a person’s annual income; deadline for filing federal income taxes shall be the date before a federal election.
c. The death tax shall be repealed
d. Congress shall not institute a value-added tax or a national sales tax or any other tax in kind.

5. Limit the Federal Bureaucracy – all federal departments and agencies shall expire if said organizations are not individually reauthorized in stand-alone re-authorization bills every 3 years by majority vote in the House and Senate. All Executive Branch regulations exceeding an economic burden of $100 million, as determined by the CBO and GAO shall be reviewed by the Congressional Delegation Oversight Committee. This committee shall 7 members of both Houses and will serve only for one three-year term and must approve or disapprove the regulation no later than 6 months.

6. Granting State Authority to Directly Amend the Constitution; 2/3 of all state legislatures may adopt Amendments to the Constitution; the wording and subject must be identical for the State Legislatures to consider. There will be a six year limit is placed on adoption of an Amendment and once the Amendment is adopted it cannot be rescinded or modified during its 6 year period while other State Legislatures are considering the Amendment.

7. Promoting Free Enterprise – the power of Congress to regulate Commerce is to prevent states from impeding commerce and trade between and among the States.

8. Protection of Private Property – if any governmental entity acts to take private property by seizure or through regulation requires the government to FULLY COMPENSATE the property owner.

9. Grant the States Authority to Check Congress - 3/5 votes of State Legislatures may override a federal statue; upon 3/5 votes of the State Legislatures may OVERRIDE the Executive Branch regulations exceeding an economic burden of $100 million. This override is not subject to litigation in any court or to be interfered by Congress or the President.

10. Protecting the Vote – citizens must have a valid photographic identification documentation to prove citizenship and residence to vote in any primary or general election of federal officers (President, Senator, or members of Congress). Early voting is 30 calendar days prior to federal election, except for active-duty military personnel (they will have 45 days prior to the federal election).