LWVFC to Host Forum on Amending the Constitution

The League of Women Voters of Falls Church will host a National Issues Forum, “Is It Time to Consider a Constitutional Convention and The Process of Amending the Constitution,” Sunday, November 8 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the Falls Church Community Center, 223 Little Falls Street.

The keynote speaker will be Thomas H. Neale, a specialist in American national government with the Library of Congress’s Congressional Research Service. The forum will explore Article V of the Constitution, which provides methods of amending the nation’s fundamental charter. Neale will review the path that was used for the 27 amendments that were previously ratified and also the convention method for proposing amendments.

The Falls Church League is joining with other Leagues around the country in a national study of the processes of amending the Constitution. The public is invited to participate to help shape this discussion. In recent years, calls have been issued for a variety of constitutional amendments, including one that would require Congress to adopt a balanced budget and one that would limit corporate and other contributions to political campaigns. There has also been interest in calling a constitutional convention because of the perception that the U.S. Congress is unwilling or unable to act on its own.

For more information on the Falls Church League and its activities go to www.lwvfallschurch.org.