States findings of the Legislature and calls on Congress to pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO Sixty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2026 IN THE SENATE SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 112 BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE A JOINT MEMORIAL1 TO THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES IN CON-2 GRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION REPRESENTING THE3 STATE OF IDAHO IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES.4 We, your Memorialists, the Senate and the House of Representatives5 of the State of Idaho assembled in the Second Regular Session of the6 Sixty-eighth Idaho Legislature, do hereby respectfully represent that:7 WHEREAS, the United States was founded on principles of limited govern-8 ment, fiscal responsibility, and accountability to the people; and9 WHEREAS, the federal government has experienced persistent budget10 deficits and a growing national debt for many years, raising ongoing con-11 cerns regarding long-term fiscal sustainability; and12 WHEREAS, the United States Congress has allowed the federal government13 to accumulate a national debt exceeding $38 trillion as of 2026, represent-14 ing a significant burden on current and future generations of Americans; and15 WHEREAS, proposals for a balanced federal budget have been considered16 for decades as one potential mechanism to promote fiscal discipline and con-17 strain deficit spending; and18 WHEREAS, public discussion regarding a federal balanced budget amend-19 ment has remained active nationwide, and such proposals continue to receive20 support from a substantial portion of the American public; and21 WHEREAS, Article V of the Constitution of the United States provides22 that "The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it neces-23 sary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution" and subsequently shall24 be ratified by the states; and25 WHEREAS, the United States has amended the Constitution of the United26 States 27 times through this proper and tested method contained in Article V;27 and28 WHEREAS, the Legislature of the State of Idaho recognizes that amend-29 ments affecting federal fiscal policy and budgetary structure are appropri-30 ately addressed at the federal level through a deliberative and nationally31 uniform process; and32 WHEREAS, the Legislature of the State of Idaho recognizes the many other33 states seeking to appeal to congress for this cause and the pervasive efforts34 of local, multi-state, and national groups to solve this issue for genera-35 tions; and36 WHEREAS, the Legislature of the State of Idaho seeks to lead, with37 Idaho's federal delegation, in resolving this issue in an effort to save38 generations of Idahoans and Americans to come from the crippling debt and39 failures of the past; and40 WHEREAS, United States Senator Mike Crapo has served the people of Idaho41 in Congress for 33 years since 1993 and serves as Chairman of the Senate Com-42

2 mittee on Finance during the 119th Congress, and has served as Ranking Member1 of the Senate Committee on Finance; and2 WHEREAS, Jim Risch has represented Idaho as a United States Senator for3 17 years since 2009, has served on the Senate Committee on Small Business and4 Entrepreneurship, and is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Rela-5 tions, where he has exercised oversight of federal spending; and6 WHEREAS, Mike Simpson has served Idaho's Second Congressional District7 in the United States House of Representatives for 27 years since 1999 and has8 served on the House Committee on Appropriations since 2005, participating9 directly in the development and oversight of federal discretionary spend-10 ing bills and shaping national budget priorities, playing a central role in11 determining federal funding levels and had responsibility over the steward-12 ship of taxpayer dollars; and13 WHEREAS, Russ Fulcher has served Idaho's First Congressional District14 in the United States House of Representatives for seven years since 2019 and15 has served on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, addressing matters16 related to commerce and economic development, and has advocated for fiscal17 discipline, regulatory reform, and policies intended to promote economic18 growth and reduce federal spending; and19 WHEREAS, United States Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch have demon-20 strated sustained leadership in prior efforts to advance a balanced budget21 amendment to the Constitution of the United States, most recently in 2023,22 reflecting their continued commitment to fiscal responsibility and posi-23 tioning them to once again lead Congress in restoring long-term budgetary24 discipline.25 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Second Regular Ses-26 sion of the Sixty-eighth Idaho Legislature, the Senate and the House of Rep-27 resentatives concurring therein, that the Legislature of the State of Idaho28 calls on Idaho's federal delegation to lead the Congress of the United States29 in balancing the federal budget and reigning in the national debt, including30 proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States that shall be31 ratified by the states requiring a balanced federal budget.32 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Idaho Legislature encourages the con-33 gressional delegation representing the State of Idaho to engage in discus-34 sion and deliberation on this issue within the Congress of the United States.35 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate be, and she is36 hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this Memorial to the37 President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of38 Congress, to the congressional delegation representing the State of Idaho39 in the Congress of the United States, and to the legislatures of the other 4940 states.41