AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called Friday for a convention of states that would amend the U.S. Constitution to limit United States presidential authority and boost states' rights.
During his keynote address to the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Annual Policy Orientation, the governor outlined his "Texas Plan" that will reign in the federal government to restore the balance of power between the states and the United States.
"The increasingly frequent departures from constitutional principles are destroying the Rule of Law foundation on which this country was built," Abbott said of the "refusal" of federal government to follow the Constitution. "The cure to these problems will not come from Washington D.C. Instead, the states must lead the way."
Abbott also released a 70-page document entitled, "Restoring the Rule of the Law with the States Leading the Way" where he outlined his nine steps to "reign in the federal government":
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-Prohibit congress from regulating activity that occurs wholly within one state.
-Require congress to balance its budget.
-Prohibit administrative agencies from creating federal law and preempting state law.
-Allow a two-thirds majority of states to override a U.S. Supreme Court decision.
-Require a seven-justice super-majority vote for U.S. Supreme Court decisions that invalidate a democratically enacted law.
-Limit the federal government to powers expressly delegated in the Constitution.
-Allow a two-thirds majority of states to override a federal law or regulation.
Abbott's speech gained the attention of presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who published an op-ed in USA Today proposing a similar convention.
"It's great to have [Abbott's] support for the convention of states," Marco Rubio spokesperson Alex Conant told CNN.
