This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Washington • Charging that the federal government's hold over states is out of whack, Rep. Rob Bishop on Thursday proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow states to overturn laws and regulations out of Washington by a two-thirds vote.
Bishop's plan, backed by several Republicans, including Sen. Orrin Hatch, would rebalance power and allow states to be another "check" on the federal government, the Utah Republican said.
Should Bishop's bill pass and be ratified as the 28th Amendment, a federal law could be overturned if 34 states passed resolutions against it.
"There isn't one good reason to pass this bill; there are 14 trillion good reasons for this amendment," Bishop said, referring to the nation's $14 trillion federal debt.
Bishop said the amendment — which would require approval by two-thirds of the House and Senate and ratification by 38 state legislatures — would help ensure against one-size-fits-all solutions by the federal legislative and executive branches.
"This is not about taking power away from the federal government," Bishop added, noting that Congress could always pass any overturned law again. "The federal government still ultimately has the power."
Todd Taylor, executive director of the Utah Democratic Party, said the arguments the Republicans were throwing out could come straight out of the playbook of secessionist John C. Calhoun.
"This dishonors the 618,000 Americans who died in the Civil War to settle this question," Taylor said.
Bishop introduced the measure in the waning days of the last session to start the discussion and is optimistic this time around he will garner support from a broad spectrum of lawmakers. House Speaker John Boehner is going to "love" the bill, Bishop said.
Hatch joined Bishop at a news conference to unveil the legislation, saying it was sorely needed.
"Enough is enough in my mind," Hatch said. "It's time to fix this ridiculous situation where Washington thinks it knows best."