STATES CAN STOP WASHINGTON REGULATORS!

From:  The Madison Amendment 

If empowered by new state laws, 2/3 of the states could FORCE Congress to propose a specific Amendment that would limit federal regulators' power.

THE REGULATION FREEDOM AMENDMENT

"Whenever one quarter of the Members of the U.S. House or the U.S. Senate transmit to the President their written declaration of opposition to a proposed federal regulation, it shall require a majority vote of the House and Senate to adopt that regulation."

NEW STATE LAWS COULD EMPOWER STATES TO FORCE CONGRESS TO PROPOSE THE AMENDMENT:

States legislators of both parties dislike federal regulations even more than does Congress. If legislators in 2/3 of the states could safely force Congress to choose between calling a Convention and proposing the specific Amendment states want, Congress would propose that Amendment to AVOID a Convention.

To safely threaten Congress with such a choice, states could pass laws to ensure that any Convention states threaten can be strictly limited to an up or down vote on just the specific Amendment states want. The 10th Amendment gives states power not reserved to the federal government, including the power to limit their convention delegates and to block an unauthorized “runaway amendment”

FOUR 10th AMENDMENT SAFEGUARDS TO EMPOWER STATES TO FORCE CONGRESS TO ACT

1) State laws to strictly limit each delegate’s authority enacted in a majority of states with a majority of the U.S. population. Indiana just enacted such a law.

2) State constitutional amendments enacted in 13 states to bar ratification in that state of a “runaway amendment”.

3) A U.S. House Rule, to bar referral to the states of an unconstitutional “runaway amendment” not authorized by states who called the convention.

4) A U.S. Senate pledge to block such a “runaway amendment.”

WHO FAVORS EMPOWERING STATES TO PROPOSE A SPECIFIC AMENDMENT?

James Madison wrote in the Federalist Papers #43: "It (the Constitution) equally enables the general and the State governments to originate the amendment of errors, as they may be pointed out by the experience on one side or the other"

Supporters of empowering states to propose a specific Amendment include former Comptroller General of the U.S, David M. Walker, former House Appropriations Chair Bob Livingston, current and former American Conservative Union Chairs Al Cardenas and David Keene, Americans for Tax Reform Chair Grover Norquist and Parental Rights.Org Chair Mike Farris.

The Madison Coalition, inspired by an idea Ed Meese proposed when he was Reagan's Attorney General, developed the strategy to empower states with a legal team led by David Rivkin, Counsel to the 26 states who sued to overturn Obamacare.

For more information, contact: Leaders@MadisonCoalition.org 202 255 5000