ALEC Resolution Endorsing the COS
COUNCIL on DOMESTIC RELATIONS
American Legislative Exchange Council's (ALEC) Resolution endorsing
the Conference of States.
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(adopted January 11, 1995)
The American Legislative Exchange Council Conference of the States
Endorsement Resolution
WHEREAS, The 10th 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 10th Amendment defines the total scope of federal
power as being that specifically granted by the United States
Constitution and no more; and
WHEREAS, The scope of federal power defined by the 10th Amendment
means that the federal government was created by the states, with
specifically delineated powers; and
WHEREAS, State authority has been eroded primarily by four
developments: (1) Federal assumption of powers reserved to the
states under the 10th Amendment; (2) Iterpretations of the
"commerce clause" which go beyond any reasonable conception, and
in effect authorize federal pre-emption with respect to any issue
for which some faint or circuitous connection can be made to
interstate commerce; (3) By threat of withholding, withdrawing,
or diverting federal funds to coerce compliance with federal
policies; (4) Failure on the part of the states to challenge
federal intrusions and by endorsing federal usurpation by seeking
additional federal funding and acceptance of federal delegation of
power; and
WHEREAS, Numerous resolutions have been forwarded to the federal
government by individual states with little response or result
from Congress or the U.S. Government; and
WHEREAS, A combined effort of the fifty state legislatures would
communicate to Congress and the U.S. Government the broad
opposition that exists to federal usurpation of state authority
and also, provide an opportunity for states legislators to
collectively propose constructive remedies to restore state
sovereignty under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the American Legislative
Exchange Council (ALEC), a membership organization representing
both Republican and Democratic state legislators, endorses the
concept of the Conference of the States.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be
distributed to the ALEC membership and the Conference of the
States Steering Committee Members.
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