Respect States’ Rights, New Bipartisan Group of Legislative Leaders Tells Fed

(Photo courtesy of National Conference of State Legislatures via the North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – A new group of bipartisan state legislative leaders issued a declaration at their first meeting calling for a renewed focus on states’ rights and an end to federal intrusion into state laws.

The Assembly of State Legislative Leaders, which includes more than 40 lawmakers from 30 states including North Dakota, unanimously approved a 449-word declaration on the importance of states’ ability to legislate independently.

The document, released last week at the bipartisan group’s inaugural meeting in Columbus, Ohio, noted that the U.S. Constitution did not create the states, “but rather the states created the Constitution, ratifying a framework in which we would both govern collectively and independently.”

Federalism is a foundational constitutional concept outlining the sharing of power between states and the federal government.