States get upset when they perceive Washington
reaching into their business and they are in increasing numbers telling the feds to stay out!
Bills that would negate a variety of federal laws
have popped up this year in the vast majority of states — with the amount of
anti-federal legislation sharply on the rise during the Obama administration,
according to experts.
The nullification trend in recent years has largely focused on three areas: gun control, health care and national standards for driver’s licenses. It has touched off fierce fights within the states and between the states and the feds, as well as raising questions and court battles over whether any of the activity is legal.
In at least 37 states, legislation has been
introduced that in some way would gut federal gun regulations, according to the
Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. The bills were signed into law this
spring in two states, Kansas and Alaska, and in two others lawmakers hope to
override gubernatorial vetoes.
Twenty states since 2010 have passed laws that
either opt out of or challenge mandatory parts of Obamacare, the National
Conference of State Legislatures says. And half the states have approved
measures aimed knocking back the Real ID Act of 2005, which dictates
Washington’s requirements for issuing driver’s licenses.
“Rosa Parks is the beacon of light: If you say no to
something, you can change the world,” Michael Boldin, founder of the Tenth
Amendment Center, which favors states’ rights, told POLITICO.
“Isn’t that
what it’s supposed to be, ‘We, the people’?” he added. “Over the past few
years, you’ve seen this growing. … People are getting sick and tired of federal
power.”
Supporters of nullification say it’s the best tool
they have to try to beat back an intrusive federal government that they say is
more and more trampling on the rights of states. Read more:
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