Republican lawmakers from 19 states completed a plan Friday that provides an outline on how to run a constitutional convention that would propose a federal balanced budget amendment. Attendees called the end product a historic effort that sets the stage for a convention of states to propose changes to the Constitution. But a balanced budget amendment is a core goal of conservative Republicans that have gained growing control of state Legislatures in recent years. The current federal budget includes spending of about $4 trillion and has a shortfall of nearly $700 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. ———This story has been corrected to show that 34 state Legislatures, not 32, must petition Congress for a convention to be called.

Source: ABC News September 15, 2017 21:32 UTC