Lawmakers in both North and South Carolina are advancing particular legislation to join a national effort calling for a Convention of States aimed at amending the U.S. Constitution to curb the power, reach, and spending habits of the federal government.
North Carolina’s resolution has already cleared the House and passed the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, with further action pending in the Senate Rules Committee. South Carolina has a similar proposal, House Bill 3007, awaiting approval in the state Senate.
The push is part of a broader national campaign to invoke Article V of the U.S. Constitution, which allows states to propose amendments through a convention—a method that bypasses Congress. To trigger a Convention of States, 34 legislatures must pass identical resolutions. So far, 19 states have formally signed on.
North Carolina Rep. Dennis Ridell (R-Alamance), who sponsored the bill, told lawmakers that the resolution focuses on three key reforms: term limits for members of Congress, fiscal restraints on federal spending, and limits on the scope of federal authority.
“We as state legislators have the power to initiate amendments to the Constitution,” Ridell said. “We don’t have to sit by and wait for Washington to get it right.”
Ridell warned of the mounting national debt, which has ballooned from $24 trillion in 2020 to $37 trillion today. “If you think that is sustainable and that’s not a problem, you are living in a fantasy world,” he said.
The resolution explicitly limits the convention to the three outlined topics, addressing concerns about a potential “runaway convention.” When asked if Congress had attempted similar reforms, Ridell was blunt: “If it’s been tried by Congress, it’s failed.”
South Carolina passed a similar resolution in 2022, which was signed by Governor Henry McMaster, demonstrating ongoing momentum for state-led constitutional reform across the Carolinas.
