(SitNews) Juneau, Alaska - The Alaska House of Representatives today passed a pair of resolutions, both by Representative Shelley Hughes, seeking to restore the balance of power between the states and federal government and strengthen state sovereignty by providing states with veto (countermand) power over federal decisions not in their best interest through a precise and careful mechanism established by an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This pair of resolutions is intended to start the process of eventually amending the U.S. Constitution via the powers granted in Article V of that same document.

House Joint Resolution 14 (The Application) provides Alaska’s application to Congress for a clearly defined, single-issue Countermand Amendment Convention. The Countermand Amendment to the United States Constitution, when ratified, will allow states to propose Countermand Initiatives, which upon approval by three-fifths of state legislatures, will repeal any federal statute, executive order, judicial decision, or regulatory decision listed in the Initiative.

“This is grassroots effort, there are no big corporations behind this and there are no big names attached to it,” Hughes, R-Palmer, said. “These are citizens who brought this forward to see the balance restored. Think how different ANWR would be if we could do what we wanted to do without federal barriers. The Countermand Amendment gives states the tool they need to swing the pendulum back to a proper balance between the states and the federal government, as the Founders intended.

House Concurrent Resolution 4 (The Delegate Resolution) enables the state Legislature to institute tight parameters for the convention, to ensure that a “runaway convention” is not possible and provides for a productive, safe and timely process. The Delegate Resolution establishes a Credential Committee for selection of delegates to the convention, and outlines the duties of the delegates.

HJR 14 passed the House on a vote of 24-15 and HCR 4 passed on a vote of 25-14. Both resolutions now move to the Alaska Senate for consideration.

On the Web:

State Applications for an Article V Convention
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_state_
applications_for_an_Article_V_Convention

Edited by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News:

Alaska House of Representatives
www.akleg.gov

 

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