Legislators Considering Resolution to Add Balanced Budget Amendment to U.S. Constitution

States across the nation are calling for a balanced federal budget, and they've proposed an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to get it done.

Some Maine lawmakers want our state to join 28 others that are calling for a Convention of States to add a balanced budget amendment to the constitution.

Representative Nathan Wadsworth has proposed the measure.

He says government shutdowns and increasing federal debt are clear signs that Congress needs to reign in its spending.

"Our country, as we know, is in a fiscal crisis. Congress refuses to do what they need to get done. The states have been seeking to have a balanced budget amendment for decades, and it's time that the state legislatures finally do their job and introduce this as an amendment because congress refuses to do so. We need to tighten our spending," said Bridgton resident Ken Quinn.

"We need 34 states before a convention is called, and then once a convention is called it'll be narrowed to the balanced budget amendment and then 38 states have to ratify that to be a constitutional change," said Wadsworth, (R) Hiram.

Wadsworth anticipates opponents who are cautious about the convention process because it's never been done before.