State Sovereignty Legislation Subject Of Tennessee Senate Summer Study Meeting

State Sovereignty Legislation Subject Of Tennessee Senate Summer Study Meeting

State Sovereignty Legislation Subject Of Tennessee Senate Summer Study Meeting

The Tennessee Senate State And Local Government Committee  Will Hold A “Fact-Finding” Summer Study Meeting On The “Restoring State Sovereignty Through Nullification Act” After The Legislature Scuttled The Bill For 3 Years In A Row.

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The Tennessee Conservative [By David Seal] –

Back in 2021 the entire nation and the state of Tennessee were adversely affected by federal mandates that imposed a variety of unconstitutional actions on state governments and individual citizens.

Many businesses were forcefully closed, limits were placed on attendance at worship services, and OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, was weaponized to force experimental vaccines on workers. 

The situation created by the federal government during the “pandemic” was a constitutional mess and served as a giant wake-up call for citizens to organize against the tyranny they were experiencing.

The Tennessee legislature also responded by enacting a sweeping joint resolution to express state sovereignty, identify many elements of federal overreach, and to state the importance of nullification of certain federal action.

A couple of snippets from Senate Joint Resolution 9005 are provided as follows.

“WHEREAS, the independent power of the states serves as a check on the power of the federal government; by denying any one government complete jurisdiction over all the concerns of public life, federalism protects the liberty of the individual from arbitrary power,” [and]

“WHEREAS, if the federal government intends to overreach its authority to the point that it assumes the traditional constitutional role of a state legislative body, it is only fitting and proper that the very existence, as well as the depth and breadth, of this federal power be condemned and challenged not just in a court of law, but also through actions of the General Assembly to nullify such federal overreach”

However, when a bill was introduced by Senator Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) and Representative Bud Hulsey (R-Kingsport) to create a set of 5 legal pathways for nullification of federal overreach, legislators tapped the brakes and sent the senate companion bill to “Summer Study.”

The Senate State and Local Government Committee will hold the summer study meeting on SB 2775 on Thursday October 3, 2024 at the Cordell Hull Building, 425 Rep. John Lewis Way at 12:30 PM, room number to be posted. The likely room will be Senate Hearing Room 1.

Contact information for the Senate State and Local Government Committee is provided at the link here. The meeting will be a fact-finding activity, not a voting meeting.

The state Sovereignty bill is supported by numerous county resolutions, including the example linked here from Jefferson County.

Tennessee Citizens for State Sovereignty (TNCSS) is a grassroots organization that supports SB 2775. A link to their website is provided here. TNCSS encourages legislators, grass roots organizations, and community leaders to sign on as supporters and attend the Summer Study Hearing.

“It is important to have a good showing of public support for nullification at the summer study session on Oct 3rd so that the committee understands that this issue is not going away and that they cannot hide behind an erroneous opinion of the AG. The legislature passed a resolution in Oct of 21 (SJR9005) that declared that they have a right and a responsibility because of their oath to nullify federal overreach and that they are not limited to simply filing lawsuits. They were correct then and we need to see some action now! This bill just provides multiple processes for something they have already declared a right and responsibility to do.” – Said Dave Vance, TNCSS Co-Chair

The Tennessee Conservative will continue to follow this important issue and update reports as the legislation progresses.

About the Author: David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, recognized artist, local businessman, 917 Society Volunteer, and current Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a citizen lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level. David is also a 2024 winner of The Tennessee Conservative Flame Award. David can be reached at david@tennesseeconservativenews.com.

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One Response

  1. “…federal power be condemned and challenged not just in a court of law, but also through actions of the General Assembly to nullify such federal overreach…”
    It is a shame that that legal actions and political actions are not understood and seen as different. Legally, the states cannot nullify,or cancel/overrule, etc, federal laws. That is succession, and affects other states. We are a union. The states CAN act politically including noncompliance (as long as the state has not made a contract with the feds on the issue), express dissent, (accomplishes 7 purposes), influence adjudication, (state, federal and private) and affect federal policy. These are actions outside the courts. The states can fight federal laws in the courts. This is on legal, or constitutional, grounds. The confusion that arises out of claiming noncompliance is nullification is a great impediment to gaining ground in this area. And along with this confusion has arisen a general dissension that has negatively affected the legislature and legislators and is counter-productive.

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