(BOSTON 11/25/2025) — Last week, the Massachusetts Legislature passed joint resolutions H.4692 and S.2684 which rescind all previous applications for a national Constitutional Convention under Article V of the U.S. Constitution. This joint initiative is in response to concerns that Congress and the Trump Administration could attempt to use prior Massachusetts resolutions to call for an Article V Constitutional Convention to advance their own political agenda, moves that could have broad and sweeping implications on current protections under the U.S. Constitution.

“Massachusetts’ applications for a Constitutional Convention are from a different time, reflecting a Commonwealth that existed almost 50 years ago,” said Senator Michael Moore (D-Millbury). “We will not let those applications be weaponized by an administration that seeks to tear up our Constitution and replace it with something that endangers some of the values that Bay Staters hold dear. With the passage of this resolution, we are formally retracting our calls for a Constitutional Convention and protecting the modern-day Massachusetts that we have fought so hard for.”

The Legislature’s action makes Massachusetts the 17th state to rescind all prior applications for an Article V convention, and reaffirms that any constitutional decisions should reflect the will of today’s elected lawmakers and the people they represent.

An Article V convention is a process outlined in the U.S. Constitution allowing states to propose amendments if two-thirds (34) of state legislatures call for it. An Article V convention could open the entire Constitution to unpredictable changes, as there are no clear guidelines or limitations on what delegates could propose. While an Article V convention has never been called before in American history, there is recent conservative momentum to add up all active resolutions to meet the two-thirds threshold.

Massachusetts had several outdated Article V resolutions pending before Congress, including one sent in 1977 asking for an Article V convention to constitutionally ban abortions. These dormant calls have been cited in national legal strategies pushing for a convention, arguing they could still be considered active and contribute to the 34-state count. Sixteen states have already taken action to rescind all of their previous calls.

Both chambers of the Legislature voted to approve the resolutions, and the House and Senate Clerks will transmit copies of the resolutions to the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives and to the Secretary of the U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C.

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