IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1587 

Recognizing that the cause of liberty demands that government should be 

made accountable again to the consent of the governed, and calling 

for the real decentralization of power through the restoration of American 

federalism. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 30, 2010 

Mr. BISHOP of Utah (for himself, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. CULBERSON, Mr. 

LAMBORN, Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey, Mr. CHAFFETZ, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mrs. LUMMIS, Mr. NEUGEBAUER, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. PENCE, Mr. 

PRICE of Georgia, Mr. HENSARLING, Mr. PITTS, Mr. LATTA, Mr. BARTLETT, Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado, Mr. TIAHRT, Mr. CASSIDY, Mr. 

GRAVES of Georgia, Mr. GINGREY of Georgia, and Mrs. MCMORRIS RODGERS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing that the cause of liberty demands that government should be made accountable again to the consent 

of the governed, and calling for the real decentralization 

of power through the restoration of American federalism. 

Whereas this is a Nation of States, and federalism is central 

to the structure of government and the very definition of 

American constitutionalism; 

Whereas as James Madison famously noted in The Federalist, ‘‘The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined’’, and 


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•HRES 1587 IH 

that ‘‘Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite.’’; 

Whereas throughout American history and the laws of the 

United States, most powers of government and as a result the decisions that affect citizens’ day-to-day lives 

were to be made at the State level; 

Whereas the relationship between the Federal Government, 

the several States, and the sovereign people is summed 

up most succinctly in the Tenth Amendment, ‘‘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.’’; 

Whereas the structural division of powers and functions between the Federal Government and the several States 

provides a double security against abusive government by 

causing each level of government to check the other in 

the name of upholding the rights and protecting the liberties of the people of the United States; 

Whereas in recognizing and protecting a sphere of State autonomy and local self-government, federalism has expanded liberty, accommodated a vast diversity of opinions, and fostered an extensive array of policy innovations 

in addressing and solving many of the Nation’s greatest 

challenges; 

Whereas ever-increasing amounts of regulations and laws 

emanating from the Federal Government, occurring in 

stages over the whole course of the 20th century but 

gathering particular momentum with the expansion of 

regulatory government in the 1960s, have centralized and 

bureaucratized political rule in the United States, underVerDate Mar 15 2010 04:52 Jul 31, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1587.IH HR1587

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•HRES 1587 IH 

mining the balance of federalism and threatening selfgovernment; 

Whereas under the current Administration, the ideology of 

big government has found a new voice and a new sponsor, and the results, from massive spending to the takeover of whole industries to new regulatory initiatives to 

the explosion of debt, have been especially threatening 

and destructive to the idea and structural integrity of 

federalism; 

Whereas in an atmosphere where courts and the executive 

seem to be moving in the opposite direction, a new Congress must take upon itself the responsibility to limit the 

scope of Federal powers and extend the ability of the several States to assert their legitimate powers, and thereby 

provide for the dynamism, opportunities, and creativity 

needed to solve problems, foster prosperity, and get the 

United States moving in the right direction; and 

Whereas there are many policy areas that have become Federal Government concerns but are better dealt with at the 

State and local levels of government, the devolution of 

which will provide the dynamism, opportunities, and creativity in solving problems and fostering prosperity in the 

United States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That— 

2 (1) the House of Representatives— 

3 (A) recognizes that the cause of liberty de4 mands that government should be made ac5 countable again to the consent of the governed, 

6 bringing it closer to the people and returning to 

7 them control over their lives while making it 


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•HRES 1587 IH 

1 better able to solve their problems and serve 

2 their common good; and 

3 (B) recognizes the historic and continuing 

4 importance of federalism and reaffirms its com5 mitment to safeguard and uphold constitutional 

6 government as defined by the Tenth Amend7 ment to the United States Constitution; and 

8 (2) it is the sense of the House of Representa9 tives that— 

10 (A) this situation requires, and the very 

11 future of freedom and limited government de12 pends on, a restoration of American federalism 

13 and a real decentralization of government power 

14 and vast areas of policymaking from the Fed15 eral Government to States, local communities, 

16 neighborhoods, families, and individual citizens; 

17 and 

18 (B) while recognizing that the restoration 

19 of federalism will require a widespread and ex20 tensive restructuring of Federal Government 

21 operations and that not all or even most of the 

22 solutions come from the national capital, the 

23 best path toward achieving the goal of real 

24 structural reform is through practical but sig25 nificant policy reforms that will allow the sevVerDate Mar 15 2010 04:52 Jul 31, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1587.IH HR1587

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1 eral States to prove the virtues of federalism 

2 and thereby build a new nationwide consensus 

3 for decentralizing political power in the United 

4 States. 

Æ 


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