Over-regulation by federal agencies is one of the worst abuses of power by Washington, D.C. Many of the "laws" we live under were neither written nor approved by our representatives in Congress. Instead, they are penned and enforced by non-elected, unaccountable federal bureaucrats who live thousands of miles away in Washington.
But what if there was a way for Congress to impose real oversight on these federal policymakers? What if the states could propose and ratify a constitutional amendment that would empower a minority in Congress to force our representatives to approve the regulations written by bureaucrats?
That's exactly the kind of amendment state legislators debated at the Convention of States Simulation, and their discussion is absolutely fascinating.
Here's the text of the amendment proposal:
Whenever one quarter of the members of the United States House of Representatives or the United States Senate transmits to the President their written declaration of opposition to any proposed or existing federal administrative regulation, in whole or in part, it shall require a majority vote of the House of Representatives and Senate to adopt or affirm that regulation. Upon transmittal of opposition, if Congress shall fail to vote within 180 days, such regulation shall be vacated. No proposed regulation challenged under the terms of this Article shall go into effect without approval of Congress. Congressional approval or rejection of a rule or regulation is not subject to Presidential veto under Article 1, Section 7 of the U.S. Constitution.
Interested in the other amendments debated and considered at the Convention of States Simulation? Check out the official Simulation page!
If these ideas inspire you, consider joining the Convention of States team in your state. You can sign the Petition below or check out the entire list of volunteer positions here.
