Resolution targets federal mandates

State Sen. A.G. Crowe, a Slidell Republican, will file a resolution in coming weeks for the regular session urging the federal government to stop imposing mandates on the states for purposes not listed in the U.S. Constitution. Crowe says “proposed power grabs” by the federal government such as gun control laws and the Freedom of Choice Act have increased dramatically over the past few decades. He says such efforts nullify numerous laws passed by the Louisiana Legislature. “Many U.S. citizens around the country have been calling on their state legislators to pass resolutions similar to this one,” Crowe says. “Citizens are very clearly beginning to see evidence of a central government trying to increase power and control.” He says Louisiana has its own personal experiences with such “overreaches by the federal government.” Crowe cites the No Child Left Behind program, which conflicted with a similar state-adopted initiative. Crowe says the basis for his argument can be found in the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which 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.” More than 30 states have already filed or passed similar measures.—Jeremy Alford