Senate

Republicans want to allow states to reject federal laws

Republican senators proposed a constitutional amendment Thursday that would allow states to reject federal laws, such as ObamaCare.

Sens. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) introduced S.J.Res. 34, which would allow states to repeal federal laws and regulations if ratified by the two-thirds of state legislatures across the country.

{mosads}“Telling policy makers that they’ve crossed the line and are trampling on their rights as self-governing entities, often falls on deaf ears,” Enzi said Friday. “When you look at the policies coming out of Washington, the burden of enacting and complying with what Congress or some agency dictates falls on the states.”

If 34 states opposed a federal law or regulation, the law would then be considered repealed.

The senators said the bill would give states more rights and a “vital check against an expanding federal government.”

The amendment language says, “any provision of law or regulation of the United States may be repealed by the several states, and such repeal shall be effective when the legislatures of two-thirds of the several states approve resolutions for this purpose that particularly describe the same provision or provisions of law or regulation to be repealed.”

The chance of the resolution passing is slim because constitutional amendments require two-thirds of both chambers of Congress to approve the measure or for two-thirds of state legislatures to approve it through a constitutional convention.