Pour a Cup ‘o’ Tea! Attempt to Revive “10th Amendment” Resolution Dies in GAE Committee

Amendment X of US Constitution

“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.”

Sen. Mike McLachlan, R-Danbury, tried to add a resolution to the Government Administration & Elections Committee agenda today that would point out to Congress the veracity of the 10th amendment. Democratic majority leaders of the committee allowed the issue for a public hearing, but did not include it on its agenda today. McLachlan moved to add it to the agenda. It went down 5-4.

“I think that’s most unfortunate,” said Rep. John Hetherington of the item being killed by the co-chairs, Sen. Gayle Slossberg, D-Milford and Rep. James Spallone, D-Essex. “I don’t think the resolution itself is of cosmic importance, but I think it’s important to the people who support it.”

The “10th Amendment” argument has become code for the Tea Party coalition of conservatives, whose anger has been steeping further this week after the passage of the federal health care package. “The bill had a public hearing as do thousands of bills in the building that are not further considered,” Spallone said. McLachlan noted that Attorney General Richard Blumenthal in recent months seems uninterested in pursuing the issue of states’ right. “Residents of the state have spoken,” McLachlan said, just before his attempt crashed and burned.