Tennessee House Affirms Sovereignty under the 10th Amendment

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On 05-26-09 Tennessee’s House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed House Joint Resolution 108 (HJR0108), which was introduced by Susan Lynn in February.  After adopting one amendment, the final version passed 85-2.

The resolution urges Congress to recognize Tennessee’s sovereignty under the 10th Amendment, and is ready for transmittal to the State Senate.

Read the full text of the resolution below:

WHEREAS, the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads as follows: “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”; and

WHEREAS, the Tenth Amendment defines the total scope of federal power as being that specifically granted by the Constitution of the United States and no more; and

WHEREAS, the scope of power defined by the Tenth Amendment means that the federal government was created by the states specifically to be an agent of the states; and

WHEREAS, today, in 2009, the states are demonstrably treated as agents of the federal government; and

WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court has ruled in New York v. United States, 112 S. Ct. 2408 (1992), that Congress may not simply commandeer the legislative and regulatory processes of the states; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE

CONCURRING, that we hereby affirm Tennessee’s sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the Constitution of the United States.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a committee of conference and correspondence be appointed by the Speaker of the House and of the Senate, which shall have as its charge to communicate the preceding resolution to the legislatures of the several states, to assure them that this State continues in the same esteem of their friendship and to call for a joint working group between the states to enumerate the abuses of authority by the federal government and to seek repeal of the assumption of powers and the imposed mandates.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a certified copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker and the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, and to each member of Tennessee’s Congressional delegation.

Michael Boldin [send him email] is the founder of the Tenth Amendment Center. He was raised in Milwaukee, WI, and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. Follow him on twitter - @michaelboldin, on LinkedIn, and on Facebook.

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I think it's great that the states are finally standing up to the government as sanctioned by our founding fathers. We need to keep this up as the government with its talons already in our necks will continue to make us believe that what THEY are doing is for the best of the country. Don't believe it for one minute. We have to fight or let them beat us to a pulp. They are telling us that government run anything is the best for us. NO DEAL. Way to go Tennessee. I am originally from MA and I think they are getting this going, too. I am now living in Colorado and this state tabled the Sovereignty Resolution. Dum dums. The radical left is what it is. Radical. Do not let them sway any state that is seeking their sovereignty. Don't let them take away the rights that we have been given through our founding fathers by the Sovereign God.

Talk is easy. Now let us see what our fine Tennessee political leaders do for actions.

I'm so proud of my home state. I miss Tennessee! Hopefully we'll be back some day. GO VOLS!!!

If the Democratic idiots like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barak Hussein Obama keep trying to take our rights away, the people of Texas, like Montana, Tennessee, and others will rise up and kick their rear ends all the way out of Washington by whatever means it takes. We intend to keep our rights, our guns and our God and we will fight for our right if that is what it will take. Like the old California Republic flag said, "Don't tread on me". We have had enough of their "CHANGE".

The US Govt will only start paying attention when the individual states start recalling their elected representatives to that Federal govt. Until that happens nothing will move them. JC

Great for Tennessee! Here across the border in Kentucky, home of the "Kentucky Resolutions" our 2009 sovereignty resolution was allowed to die in committee by democrat party hacks. I hope it keeps coming up every year until Frankfort has to give it a fair consideration.

Way to go Tennessee!!!

Folks,,, this is the way to do it,,,, use the Constitution the way it was intended,,,,, to LIMIT the Fed,,, not to inslave the people.

Freedom Rocks!!!!

Now,,, how about sending some of your radical ideas down here to Florida. I need all the help I can get.

Let's take our state back! With no state income tax it's a great place to live.

Keep up the good work and continue the fight to reaffirm and maintain the sovereignty of each individual state versus what has grown to be an out-of-control federal government that no longer properly represents "we the people".

..And DC still isn't paying attention either. Well, there will be a tipping point soon I think.

TENNESSEE JOINS THE FIGHT!!!!

A proud Tennesseean!!!

Great stuff there in TN - and there's definitely more on the way, whether it's in the 2009 or the 2010 session. Both the Senate and the House have passed versions of this resolution...it'll be good to see them come together on this.

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  1. [...] May 27, 2009 in Can’t Stop The Signal | Tags: sovereignty, Tennessee, Tenth Amendment Tennessee House Affirms Sovereignty under the 10th Amendment [...]

  2. [...] State House passed the resolution on 05-26-09 by a vote of [...]

  3. [...] Check out the full article and the text of the resolution at the Tenth Amendment Center. [...]