Much like last year, Virginia’s 2011 General Assembly session is chock full of bills and resolutions that seek to strengthen federalism and the state sovereignty protections of the Tenth Amendment. One of those, HB1438, would prevent the federal government from regulating anything produced and sold exclusively within the state of Virginia.

Its summary reads:

Goods produced or manufactured in the Commonwealth; not subject to federal regulation. Provides that all goods produced or manufactured within the Commonwealth, when such goods are held, retained, or maintained in the Commonwealth, shall not be subject to federal law, federal regulation, or the constitutional power of the United States Congress to regulate interstate commerce. The bill does not apply to goods ordered, procured, or purchased by the federal government or by a federal contractor. The bill only applies to goods produced or manufactured on or after July 1, 2011.

Such a bill would have far-reaching implications from food to firearms. It would effectively block implementation of the abominable “Food Patriot Act” in the same way that last year’s HB10, the Health Care Freedom Act, helps protect Virginians from the individual mandate in ObamaCare.

Last year, a similar, but narrower, bill passed the House before being killed in the Senate. The House Commerce and Labor Committee will hear HB1438 today. If you wish to express your support for HB1438, you can contact the members of the Commerce and Labor Committee: Kilgore (Chairman), Morgan, Purkey, Byron, Ware, R.L., Hugo, Janis, Rust, Marshall, D.W., Cline, Miller, J.H., Merricks, Loupassi, Cosgrove, Johnson, Joannou, Alexander, McClellan, Ward, Lewis, Tyler, McQuinn.

Another for tenthers to watch is HR46, in which Congress is politely urged to honor the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution:

State sovereignty; Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Expresses the sense of the House of Delegates that the Congress of the United States be urged to honor state sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and claims sovereignty for the Commonwealth under the Tenth Amendment over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the Constitution of the United States.

This is a non-binding resolution and so lacks much of the punch of HB1438, but it never hurts to point out to Congress that some of us still think the Constitution should be followed as it was written. HR46 has been assigned to the House Committee on Rules. Anyone wishing to express their support should contact the members: Howell, W.J. (Chairman), Putney, Landes, Cox, M.K., Kilgore, Ware, R.L., Janis, Bell, Robert B., Sherwood, Abbitt, Joannou, Johnson, Armstrong, Plum, Alexander.

More information on the Virginia Tenth Amendment Revolution can be found at www.va10thamendment.org.

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