Senate President David Williams (R-Burkesville) ended the session 12 days early, a political move related to the ongoing budget battle and deadlock over how to resolve Medicare shortfalls.

Gov. Steve Beshear immediately called for a special session to begin next week. But lawmakers can only take up legislation included in the governor’s call during special session, and it appears Beshear will limit the session to the passing the budget and raising the high school dropout age, one of his pet issues.

That leaves several state sovereignty bills dead in the water.

Three firearms freedom bills (SB33, HB38 and HB97) exempting guns and ammunition made in Kentucky from federal regulation never made it out of committee. A state sovereignty resolution (HJR6) also languished in committee.

Two bills did gain some traction during the aborted regular session, but died with the abrupt end of proceedings.

SB10, a bill proposing the addition of a 21^st Century Bill of Rights to the state constitution passed the Senate 25-12. The legislation included a provision declaring “sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States”, and established that no law shall compel any Kentucky citizen to participate in a health care system or provide abortion services. The bill moved on to a House committee, but was never taken up by the full House.

SJR99, a resolution declaring Kentucky a sanctuary state from the regulatory overreach of the United States Environmental Protection Agency against coal operators and the coal industry in Kentucky also cleared one hurdle. The bill passed the Democratic controlled House 28-10 on Feb. 28. The Senate received the legislation March 1, but with the session ending, the bill died in committee.

Had the Republican controlled Senate taken up SJR99, it would have likely had an excellent chance of passage.

Arizona State Senator Gallardo however, obviously doesn’t understand state nullification. He thinks it’s about nullifying parts of our Constitution that we don’t like? No Senator! That’s what our so called “federal” government does every day!

State nullification is about states supporting and defending the parts of the Constitution that the usurpers in Washington, DC don’t seem to like, such as the 9th and 10th Amendment!

Also, what reporter Kylee Gauna doesn’t seem to understand is that any Supreme Court Decision that interferes with SB 1433 will also be nullified by the people of Arizona and their state officials, if we deem it to be unconstitutional . Why? Because it’s the Constitution, according to its original meaning (which is both fixed and knowable), that is the Supreme Law of the land and the measure of all federal power, not the Supreme Court’s opinion.

I encourage everyone to watch this YouTube video, leave an intelligent comment and share it with as many people as possible!

Reform that makes it easier for immigrants to come to seek the American Dream, should be welcome. Unfortunately, much of the opposition (though not all) was rooted in xenophobia, nativism and, in some cases, racism. Because of this there was no opportunity to have a substantive debate on the points of the bill, such as provisions of McCain-Kennedy dealing with REAL ID, which was a defacto national ID card approved by Congress in 2005.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Sen. Chuck Schumer may be incorporating a biometric national ID card in his proposal:

Under the potentially controversial plan still taking shape in the Senate, all legal U.S. workers, including citizens and immigrants, would be issued an ID card with embedded information, such as fingerprints, to tie the card to the worker.

The ID card plan is one of several steps advocates of an immigration overhaul are taking to address concerns that have defeated similar bills in the past.

The uphill effort to pass a bill is being led by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), who plan to meet with President Barack Obama as soon as this week to update him on their work. An administration official said the White House had no position on the biometric card.

No doubt many conservatives and Republican support a national ID. In fact, the Heritage Foundation promoted REAL ID. The fact that there is no constitutional basis for a national ID or the obvious concerns for privacy don’t seem to stop the conservatives for clamoring for it.

Separately, you have to wonder why Democrats are trying to touch on so many controversial issues in an election year. You may say that this is bipartisan, and I would agree, but Democrats are basically handing another issue for the Republican base to unite in opposition to. We’ll be seeing anti-immigration tea parties before the summer break.

cross-posted from UnitedLiberty.org

One of the more curious moments of this dog and pony show came when Kevin Johnson, Mayor of Sacramento, asked the schoolchildren assembled there a pretty basic question,

“This is a history class, right? Who here has heard of ‘Brown vs. Board of Education’?”

What followed was a very awkward moment- not a single student raised their hand.

Milliseconds later, in an attempt to recover the failed moment, former NBA star Johnson grinned and issued a second instruction, “Well OK, just raise your hand anyway.”

In that singular moment, a point was made, but it wasn’t made by Mayor Johnson. The student’s lack of basic historical knowledge sadly illustrated the shortcomings of an education system already dominated by edicts from the out-of-touch gang in DC.

None of the men and women at that podium, grinning like kids in a candy shop, seemed to realize that what they were really doing. Of course, $700 million in school funding sounds great on the surface, but along with the money comes something that was not mentioned by the legislators- increased Federal control of California classrooms and ultimately erosion of California’s status as a sovereign state.

For some time now, the Federal government has had a say in CA schools. The result of their meddling can be seen in one history class’ complete ignorance of one of the most well known (though flawed in the opinion of important 10th amendment scholars) civil rights rulings in the past 100 years, Brown vs. Board of Education. Federal emphasis on test scores, a mandate that would only grow more stringent as part of this $700 million dollar deal, puts teaching decisions in the hands of Washington DC rather than teachers and school administrators.

It’s time for the people of California to wake up. As one of the largest economic powers in the world (at least as of a few years ago), it is likely that California gave the Federal Government FAR more than the $700 million it will be getting back (with major strings attached). Unfunded Federal mandates have sucked California’s budget dry for years, while ‘carrots’ like these education funds keep California bound to DC. Californians might not be so enthusiastic if the real price paid for continuing connection to the Federal umbilical were known.

The fact that DC politicians, who care only for themselves and increasing their own power, have the audacity to involve themselves in a choice as personal as marriage should be an affront to anyone who values liberty and individual freedom. Marriage is an issue that should be discussed at family dinner tables, in churches or anywhere close friends come together- NOT in the halls of congress.

As with the Republican and Democrat categories, it matters not whether someone is a liberal, conservative, gay or straight in this fight to reclaim our republic. The only pertinent question is this: Does a given person or group stand against the further centralization of power in Washington DC, or do they stand with Big Brother and the forces who seek to control and make personal decisions for us?

As a group of people who have ample experience dealing with diminished personal privileges, it is a natural fit for gay rights advocates to join this battle against those who seek to impede the freedoms of all Americans.

Last week in California, John Perez became the first openly gay official to lead any state legislature, in fact declining an opportunity to join the CA senate in order to do so. Though not heralded as widely as our first female speaker of the US house or our first black President, this milestone opens the door for a new chapter in the battle against Federal overreach. A new opportunity has emerged for gay rights activists to rally around this state leader and demand sovereignty under the 10th Amendment. If that opportunity is taken, all Americans, both homosexual and heterosexual, will reap the benefits.

SCR-13 passed the Senate State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs Committee this morning by a vote of 6-3. It will now be referred to the full Senate for a vote. Please contact Senate President Bill Harris to encourage him to quickly bring this to the floor for a vote, and your Senators to respectfully urge final passage of this historic legislation.

And, from the Associated Press report:

The State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs committee approved the resolution by state Sen. Tim Grendell on Tuesday. It now heads to the full Senate.

It would affirm the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, giving all powers not specifically delegated to the federal government to the states and the people.

From the Leaf-Chronicle:

Rep. Johnson, along with three other state representatives, will serve by appointment of House Speaker Kent Williams on the committee of conference and correspondence pursuant to House Joint Resolution 108. Other members appointed include Lynn, Rep. Richard Floyd and Rep. Ron Lollar.

“I am proud that Tennessee legislators on both sides of the aisle realized the need to protect our state sovereignty by passing this resolution,” Johnson said. “I look forward to working with Rep. Lynn to communicate with other states and join together in making sure we protect our states rights provided in the constitution. It’s time we let the federal government know we do not want them overstepping their authority and spending money we do not have. I strongly believe our forefathers had it right when they established the framework intended to limit the powers of the federal government.”

From HJR108, the full charge of the committee:

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a committee of conference and correspondence be appointed by the Speaker of the House and of the Senate, which shall have as its charge to communicate the preceding resolution to the legislatures of the several states, to assure them that this State continues in the same esteem of their friendship and to call for a joint working group between the states to enumerate the abuses of authority by the federal government and to seek repeal of the assumption of powers and the imposed mandates.