Senate Bill 2224

AN ACT TO CODIFY SECTION 5-3-1, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CREATE A "RESTORING THE 10TH AMENDMENT COMMITTEE" AND PRESCRIBE ITS MEMBERSHIP AND AUTHORITY; TO DIRECT THE COMMITTEE TO IDENTIFY AND REPORT ON FEDERAL LAWS AND PROGRAMS WHICH HAVE BEEN PASSED BY THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS IN VIOLATION OF THE TENTH AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND UNFUNDED MANDATES IMPOSED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT UPON THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI; TO AMEND SECTIONS 5-3-27 AND 5-3-29, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN CONFORMITY; TO REPEAL SECTION 5-3-31, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH PROVIDES FOR A LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. The Legislature finds:

(a) The 10th Article of Amendment to the Constitution of the United States (hereinafter in this section referred to as the "10th Amendment"), ratified on December 15, 1791, states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.".

(b) The 10th Amendment expressly limits the powers of the federal government to those delegated by the Constitution and reaffirms and protects the freedom of the states to exercise those that are not.

(c) The 10th Amendment reflects the opposition of the Founding Fathers to a federal government with expansive powers; their intention for the powers of the states to act as a check on those of the federal government; and their concern that the federal government would attempt to usurp powers intended to remain with the states.

(d) The 10th Amendment assures that the people of the United States of America and each sovereign state in the Union of States, now have, and have always had, rights the federal government may not usurp.

(e) It is the responsibility of the State of Mississippi to safeguard the 10th Amendment and to recognize that it is as vital and valuable today as on the date of its ratification.

SECTION 2. The following provision shall be codified as Section 5-3-1, Mississippi Code of 1972:

5-3-1. (1) There is hereby created a committee to be known as the "Restoring the 10th Amendment Committee," which shall be composed of three (3) members of the Senate and three (3) members of the House of Representatives. The members of the committee from the House of Representatives shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the members of the committee from the Senate shall be appointed by the Lieutenant Governor. Such appointments to be made as soon as practicable after the effective date of this act. When such appointments have been made, the said committee shall meet and organize by electing one (1) of their members as chairman, one (1) of their members as vice chairman, and one (1) of their members as secretary. The term of office of the members of such committee shall be the same as their term as members of the Legislature, and vacancies occurring thereon shall be filled by appointment by the Speaker or the Lieutenant Governor, as the case may be.

(2) The Restoring the 10th Amendment Committee, created by this chapter is hereby authorized and it shall be its duty to make a study of unconstitutional activities in this state as defined in Section 5-3-29 and unfunded mandates imposed by the federal government upon the State of Mississippi. During any period when a proposed federal rule is required under Chapter 5, Title 5, United States Code, to be open for public comment, the Restoring the 10th Amendment Committee may file with the head of the agency proposing the rule a legal brief challenging the constitutionality of the proposed rule under the 10th Article of Amendment to the Constitution.

(3) It shall be the duty of such committee to keep full and complete minutes and records of all its proceedings and actions, which such minutes and records shall be open to the inspection of any member of the Legislature at any reasonable time during the regular hours of a business day.

(4) The committee hereby created shall have the power and authority to sit in vacation after the sine die adjournment of the Legislature.

(5) The said committee is hereby fully authorized and empowered to subpoena and examine witnesses, to require the appearance of any person and the production of any paper or document as evidence, and to order the attendance of any witness or the production of any paper, and in such cases, the committee shall have the power to issue all necessary process which shall be signed by the chairman, vice chairman or secretary of said committee and shall be directed to the sheriff of any county or to the bailiff or process server of said committee or the deputy of either. When any such process has been served, obedience thereto may be enforced by the attachment of the persons, papers and records subpoenaed, and if any person should willfully refuse to appear before such committee or to produce any paper or record in obedience to any process issued and served, then the committee shall have the authority to enforce obedience thereto by fine or imprisonment in the discretion of the committee; but in the event of imprisonment, the term thereof shall not extend beyond ten (10) days after the reconvening of the Legislature unless the Legislature, after reconvening within said time, shall otherwise order by concurrent resolution.

(6) The committee hereby created is hereby vested with the power and authority to employ counsel and to expend such reasonable sum as compensation for such counsel as the committee shall deem proper.

(7) The committee shall develop and make a report of its findings to the members of the Mississippi Congressional delegation and to every Regular Session of the Legislature along with whatever recommended legislation it deems necessary.

SECTION 3. Section 5-3-27, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

5-3-27. The Restoring the 10th Amendment Committee, created by this chapter is hereby authorized and it shall be its duty to make a study of unconstitutional activities in this state as defined in Section 5-3-29 and unfunded mandates imposed by the federal government upon the State of Mississippi * * *.

SECTION 4. Section 5-3-29, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

5-3-29. "Unconstitutional activities" shall mean laws or programs enacted by the United States Congress in which the federal government has overstepped its Constitutional authority by passing legislation which is left to the states or the people under the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This definition shall specifically include legislation relating to health care, financial reform, and gun control, or any other legislation not provided for or sanctioned by the Constitution of the State of Mississippi or the Constitution of the United States.

SECTION 5. Section 5-3-31, Mississippi Code of 1972, which provides for a legislative council, is hereby repealed. SECTION 6. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2011.