Tenth Amendment Center

A line was drawn in the sand last week- a response by the Federal Government to the State of Tennessee and their assertion of sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution.

This week, Tennesse Governor Phil Bresden signed House Joint Resolution 108 (HJR0108), authored by State Rep. Susan Lynn. Six other states have had both houses of their legislature pass similar resolutions – Alaska, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma and Louisiana – but Tennessee is the first to have such a resolution signed by the Governor.

Today, the Tennessee State Senate unanimously voted to pass, as amended, House Joint Resolution 108 (HJR0108). This resolution “Urges Congress to recognize Tennessee’s sovereignty under the tenth amendment to the Constitution.” Tennessee joins Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho and Oklahoma – as the sixth state to have both the House and Senate pass a resolution in support of the 10th Amendment.

On its way to the Governor’s desk, the bill states that “federal laws and regulations do not apply to personal firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition that is manufactured in Tennessee and remains in Tennessee.”

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.

On May 4th, the Tennessee State Senate voted unanimously in support of Senate Joint Resolution 311 (31 yay – 0 nay). The resolution, sponsored by Senator Randy McNally, is designed to send Congress a message that the federal government has overstepped its Constitutional bounds by mandating a massive amount of federal policies upon the states in violation of the 10th Amendment.

by Susan Lynn, 57th District Rep., Tennessee
State sovereignty is a big deal to state legislators; hopefully, it is to you as well. It is what keeps the federal government from over stepping its constitutional bounds.
Today many state legislators, including some in Tennessee, have decided it is time to affirm state sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment [...]