In an attempt to curb federal spending and obtain financial security for future generations, two Michigan congressmen have brought forth resolutions to ask Congress to amend the U.S. Constitution to require a balanced budget.

Rep. “Paul Opsommer, R-DeWitt, and Sen. “Goeff Hansen”, R-Hart, both have proposed resolutions to call Congress’s attention to the debt and how it can cripple future generations.

“When they inherit these problems, I don’t want them to be worse than they already are,” Opsommer said. “We have to get things turned around now.”

A concurrent version of the House and Senate resolutions passed in committee and now go to the Senate floor for approval.

The state of Michigan is constitutionally required to maintain a balanced budget, sometimes making cuts in budget line items to ensure the balance is maintained from year to year. Any surpluses or deficits from previous years are re-entered and re-appropriated into the budget to maintain a balanced budget the following year.

MSU professor of law Brian Kalt said it would be feasible for Congress to legally support a constitutional amendment, but “the devil would be in the details,” especially concerning political and economic specifics.

He said the details of such an amendment would require a solid consensus among states, which would be difficult to achieve considering political differences.

Kalt also said such a constitutional amendment would be hard to enforce.

“One possibility would say, ‘You have to balance the budget or else,’ and nothing would happen,” he said.

The amendment also could require automatic spending cuts, which could get messy, Kalt added.

Opsommer said if the debt isn’t addressed, it will continue to amass deficits for future generations.

He said although Michigan requires a balanced budget, federal spending still harms state investments that receive unfettered federal funds.

Hansen said federal investments should be viewed the same way any household investment.