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Dear Friends,
When I took the oath of office in 2009 and again last month, I promised to uphold the constitutions of the state of Washington and of the United States of America. The 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution declares: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
Unfortunately, elected officials in Washington, D.C. have chosen to ignore this Amendment. They have handed down mandates, funded with strings attached or not funded at all, which limit the ability of states to solve their own problems. One of the most egregious examples is Obamacare which a federal judge recently ruled unconstitutional. Enough is enough!
In 2009, I introduced legislation to serve notice to the federal government to immediately cease and desist “any and all mandates that are beyond the scope of its constitutionally-delegated powers.” Last year, I continued the fight to uphold states’ rights by introducing a series of state sovereignty bills. That fight moves forward this year as we work to put the federal government back into its constitutional box.
This week, I introduced several bills to reassert Washington state sovereignty and to again send a message to the federal government that it should back off from overstepping its constitutional bounds of meddling in matters reserved to the states. I invite you to read more about these bills below and get involved. If you would like more information, please contact my office.
Together, we can tell Washington, D.C. that the U.S. Constitution must be upheld in its entirety – including the 10th Amendment.
SAVE THE DATE: Please join me for an upcoming telephone town hall meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 23, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The call-in radio show format is an opportunity for you to learn more about the 2011 legislative session, ask questions and take part in polls. To participate, dial toll-free 1-877-229-8493, and enter PIN code 15550 when prompted.
Legislation reasserting state sovereignty
- House Joint Memorial 4007 – Would put the federal government on notice that it must maintain the balance of powers established by the Constitution of the United States. (Prime-sponsored by Rep. Matt Shea.)
- House Bill 1946 – Washington State Health Freedom Act of 2011 – Would prohibit a law or rule pertaining to health care from compelling any person, employer, or health care provider to participate in any health care system. This would effectively repeal the federal health care mandates in Washington state. (Prime-sponsored by Rep. Matt Shea.)
- House Bill 1948 – Washington State Energy Freedom Act of 2011 – Would prohibit state agencies from adopting or enforcing a state, regional, or national program to regulate the emission of greenhouse gas or motor vehicle fuel economy without express legislative authorization. (Prime-sponsored by Rep. Matt Shea.)
- House Bill 1951 – Washington Right to Constitutional Government Act of 2011 – Would require that every bill, act, ordinance, resolution, or rule adopted or enacted by a legislative or executive body, or the people, include the citation of the express language from the federal or state constitution that provides the specific authority for the provisions. (Prime-sponsored by Rep. Matt Shea.)
- House Joint Memorial 4008 – Would seek to re-establish gold and silver currency as the primary monetary system to prevent unprecedented losses in the value of take-home pay, retirement income, insurance policies, and investments as a result of the Federal Reserve’s ongoing inflation of unbacked paper money. (Co-sponsored by Rep. Matt Shea.)
- House Bill 1947 – Would require state agencies to submit a written report disclosing a comprehensive, detailed description of all agreements between the agency and the federal government. This would allow the Legislature to monitor and evaluate the budgetary and fiscal impacts of those agreements, as well as their impact on state sovereignty. (Prime-sponsored by Rep. Matt Shea.)
- House Bill 1950 – Would remove Washington from the presidential national popular vote agreement and the winner takes all electoral system. Would require instead that presidential electors are elected by congressional district and two at large. (Prime-sponsored by Rep. Matt
Shea.)
Sincerely,
Matt Shea