Governor of Texas
State Capitol
Austin, Texas


Governor Abbott:


I write to respectfully petition you, in your constitutional capacity as Governor of the State of Texas, to exercise your authority to convene the Texas Legislature in special session for the purpose of considering and adopting an application to Congress under Article V of the Constitution of the United States for the calling of a Convention of the States.


Article V provides, in relevant part, that “on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, [Congress] shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments.” Pursuant to this authority, I urge that Texas formally apply for a convention limited in scope to proposing a constitutional amendment requiring public hearings, conducted under oath and subject to due process protections, for any elected official—past or present—concerning their knowledge of, relationship with, or material support to individuals convicted of federal crimes involving human trafficking, kidnapping, solicitation of minors, or related offenses.


The proposed amendment should be narrowly tailored to:


1. Require that elected federal officials, and elected state officials where federal jurisdiction is implicated, be subject to mandatory public inquiry when credible evidence demonstrates a substantial connection to individuals convicted of the aforementioned federal crimes;
2. Provide that where such credible evidence is established, and following constitutionally compliant proceedings, any elected official found to have violated federal or state criminal law shall be subject to the full extent of the law, including investigation, indictment, prosecution, and penalty as prescribed by applicable statutes; and circumvent any prior immunity statutes due to the severity of said indictments;
3. Ensure that all proceedings afford full constitutional protections, including notice, right to counsel, confrontation of witnesses, and protection against self-incrimination consistent with existing constitutional guarantees;
4. Establish uniform standards for transparency and accountability while preserving separation of powers, federalism principles, and judicial review; and
5. Limit the Convention’s authority strictly to the subject matter described herein, consistent with Article V’s structure and longstanding constitutional interpretation regarding subject-limited applications.


The Legislature of Texas is fully empowered under Article V to adopt an application specifying the subject matter of the proposed amendment. Such application may define and confine the scope of the convention to prevent consideration of unrelated amendments.


Given the seriousness of crimes such as human trafficking and exploitation of minors, and the imperative to maintain public trust in elected leadership, it is appropriate for the sovereign states to exercise their constitutional prerogative to ensure lawful transparency and accountability. Texas is well positioned to initiate this effort and to encourage sister states to adopt parallel applications to meet the two-thirds threshold required by Article V.


Accordingly, I respectfully request that you convene the Legislature of Texas in special session to deliberate upon and, if it deems appropriate, adopt an Article V application calling for a Convention of the States limited to the purpose described above. I further urge you to communicate with other governors and legislative leaders across the several states to encourage coordinated applications sufficient to compel Congress to call such a convention.


The Framers provided this mechanism as a constitutional safeguard to be exercised by the states when structural reform is deemed necessary. Invoking it in a lawful, disciplined, and limited manner would reflect fidelity to constitutional design and the rule of law.


Thank you for your consideration.


Respectfully submitted,


Print name: Signature