00 SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 5 01 Establishing the House Special Committee on Federal Overreach. 02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: 03 WHEREAS the House of Representatives recognizes and salutes the many historic 04 achievements of the federal government, including the federal government's fulfillment of its 05 duty to guarantee popular government in each state; and 06 WHEREAS the Constitution of the United States enumerates the powers of the 07 federal government, limiting its attention to national objects only, and reserves for the states 08 all residuary powers, providing a framework that is prerequisite to the vitality of the states as 09 self-governing bodies within the republic; and 10 WHEREAS the conduct of the federal government in Alaska's affairs since statehood 11 concerns Alaskans and the legislature; and 12 WHEREAS, for years, Alaska's government and its delegation to the United States 13 Congress have sought remedy to address concerns over state and federal relations and have 14 been generally unsuccessful; and 15 WHEREAS the federal government's most recent infringements on Alaska's state 16 sovereignty recklessly disregard the state's duty and responsibility to manage its land, and the 01 provisions of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, passed by the United 02 States Congress in 1980, and concern all Alaskans from all political philosophies; and 03 WHEREAS the House of Representatives is sensitive to similar infringements by the 04 federal government on the rights of other states; and 05 WHEREAS Alaskans and the officers, judges, and legislators of the state government 06 are competent to understand the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the 07 State of Alaska, and federal and state laws, and understand and are protective of their natural 08 and constitutional rights; and 09 WHEREAS state governments generally, and the government of the State of Alaska 10 specifically, have a duty to defend the integrity of the Constitution of the United States, the 11 Constitution of the State of Alaska, and the constitution of each state government 12 respectively, and to restore to the federal government its proper role as defined in the 13 Constitution; and 14 WHEREAS the House of Representatives, conscious of the gravity of the present 15 circumstances, recognizes the importance of restoring the proper balance of powers between 16 the states and the federal government; 17 BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives that the House Special 18 Committee on Federal Overreach is established to 19 (1) restore and maintain state sovereignty against any attempted 20 unconstitutional exercise of federal power in Alaska; 21 (2) study and consider the implications, risks, and effects of a potential 22 reduction in federal funds and what that reduction might mean to Alaska and Alaskans; 23 (3) compile the clearest and most harmful examples of unconstitutional 24 exercises of federal power that warrant the state's reaffirmation of constitutional authority; 25 (4) coordinate with civic and professional associations within and outside the 26 state that share a similar mission with the committee to exchange useful research and plans; 27 (5) hold public hearings and forums and encourage wide public debate on 28 subjects within the committee's jurisdiction; 29 (6) encourage greater communication with other state governments on those 30 subjects and to consider joint action with those states to assert and protect state sovereignty; 31 (7) submit reports to the Alaska House of Representatives by January 15, 01 2016, and by January 15, 2017, reporting on the committee's progress and making 02 recommendations concerning its plan to achieve state sovereignty, including the 03 recommendations set out in this resolution; and be it 04 FURTHER RESOLVED that the membership of the House Special Committee on 05 Federal Overreach shall be composed of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, or a 06 member of the House of Representatives selected as the Speaker's designee serving as the 07 chair of the committee, and four members of the House of Representatives appointed by the 08 Speaker, two of whom shall be members of the minority caucus of the House of 09 Representatives; and be it 10 FURTHER RESOLVED that the House Special Committee on Federal Overreach 11 shall meet during the interim between legislative sessions, and the chair of the House Special 12 Committee on Federal Overreach shall make reasonable efforts to schedule joint meetings, 13 and encourage coordination, with a similar committee of the Alaska State Senate if one is 14 established; and be it 15 FURTHER RESOLVED that committee members are encouraged to work together 16 constructively in a bipartisan manner to achieve a consensus and results that will not only 17 solve problems in state and federal relations but also demonstrate to Alaskans and to all 18 Americans that Alaskans can work together to lead the state and country to meet the 19 challenges confronting us; and be it 20 FURTHER RESOLVED that the House Special Committee on Federal Overreach is 21 encouraged to conduct meetings electronically or telephonically and take other reasonable 22 steps to save costs by using current staff resources; and be it 23 FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives urges the Governor to 24 form a working group to restore and maintain the constitutional division of powers and 25 responsibilities between the state and federal governments, to coordinate and confer with the 26 House Special Committee on Federal Overreach and any similar committee of the Alaska 27 State Senate, should a Senate committee be established, and to establish a national network of 28 similar organizations; and be it 29 FURTHER RESOLVED that the House Special Committee on Federal Overreach 30 terminates on January 15, 2017.