The Alaska House passed House Joint Resolution 22 this week, starting the long process of amending the U.S. Constitution.
Alaska is joining other states and forcing Congress to convene to make an amendment in regards to federal office term limits, a balanced budget amendment, and quote, “limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government”.
North Pole Representative Tammie Wilson sponsored the resolution, saying the federal government has gotten too big.
Rep. Wilson: “We can go right around this group and each of us come up with at least one example of where the federal government has overextended itself and has taken more and more of the states rights away. I don’t care what side of the aisle you’re on, I bet every one of us could without thinking very hard.”
While on the House Floor an amendment was added stating “the federal government has ceased to live under a proper interpretation of the constitution.”
Midtown Anchorage Rep. Andy Josephson disagreed with the amendment.
Rep. Josephson: “The federal government operates under the constitution. It just does. If it doesn’t it can’t issue binding orders because a defense council or a corporation or anybody else could say hey there’s been a court rule that’s not enforceable.”
Alaska is practicing the rarely used portion of the U.S. Constitution, Article 5, which states that Congress will have to convene if at least 34 of the states legislatures make similar petitions. Georgia is the only other state to have passed one, so far; however, Alabama’s state house passed a similar bill and Florida is considering the idea.
The resolution passed 24 to 13 and now goes to Alaska’s senate.