10th Amendment - State Sovereignty Bill

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.

The 10th Amendment Resolution is a measure designed to defend state sovereignty by bringing the division of power between the federal government and Pennsylvania’s state government back in line with the vision proscribed by America’s Founding Fathers as expressed through the 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Why it Matters?
Every authority that is commandeered by the federal government is another authority that cannot be exercised by the individual states. This results in more state decisions being made by stakeholders who have few or no direct ties to that state. For example, when the federal government makes a decision that should rightfully be left up to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, this means that residents in San Francisco and New York City – who are represented by their members in Congress – exert undue influence over policies that will be implemented in the keystone state.

Those who seek to uphold the 10th Amendment’s constraints on federal authority inherently seek to ensure that those decisions that can be made by state and local governments are made in those arenas.  This eliminates the scenario where San Francisco and New York City residents exert an undue influence on Pennsylvania policies and vice versa. Instead, 10th Amendment defenders believe federal authority should be constrained to those policies that are beyond the reach and scope of the individual states, such as national defense and national border security.

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Background of the 10th Amendment - pdf (by Sam Rohrer)
10th Amendment Resolution Petition (by Sam Rohrer)
NOTE: Send the Petition to your State Rep and Senator and ask them to support it!

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PA House
HR 95 (pdf) (2009-10)

Current Sponsors:
ROHRER, BAKER, BARRAR, BEAR, BENNINGHOFF, BOYD, BROOKS, CLYMER, COX, CREIGHTON, CUTLER, DENLINGER, ELLIS, FLECK, GABIG, GABLER, GEIST, GIBBONS, GINGRICH, GOODMAN, GRELL, GROVE, HARRIS, HUTCHINSON, KAUFFMAN, MARSICO, METCALFE, METZGAR, MICOZZIE, MILLER, MOUL, MUSTIO, OBERLANDER, PAYNE, PERRY, PHILLIPS, PYLE, QUIGLEY, RAPP, REESE, REICHLEY, ROAE, ROCK, SAYLOR, SCHRODER, SONNEY, STERN, STEVENSON, SWANGER, TALLMAN, TRUE, TURZAI, MARSHALL, GRUCELA, DELOZIER, M. KELLER, VULAKOVICH and HICKERNELL

PA Senate
Currently None

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