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PAG LIN 1 1 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 1 2 BY COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT 1 3 (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 3) 1 4 A Concurrent Resolution calling for the convening of a 1 5 Conference of the States and providing for Iowa's 1 6 participation in the Conference. 1 7 WHEREAS, the Constitution of the United States 1 8 established a balanced system of federal, state, and 1 9 local governance and through the Tenth Amendment 1 10 reserved all nondelegated and nonprohibited powers to 1 11 the States or to the people; and 1 12 WHEREAS, over many years, the federal government 1 13 has dramatically expanded the scope of its power and 1 14 preempted state government authority and increasingly 1 15 has treated the States as administrative subdivisions 1 16 or as special interest groups, rather than coequal 1 17 partners; and 1 18 WHEREAS, the federal government has generated 1 19 massive budget deficits and continues to mandate 1 20 programs that state and local governments must 1 21 administer; and 1 22 WHEREAS, the number of federal unfunded mandates 1 23 has grown exponentially during the last 30 years and 1 24 has profoundly distorted state budgets, including 1 25 Iowa's, thereby limiting the ability of state leaders 1 26 in Iowa and across the country to provide appropriate 1 27 and needed services to their constituencies; and 1 28 WHEREAS, since 1990, the federal government has 1 29 enacted numerous major statutes imposing burdensome 1 30 and expensive regulations and requirements on states 2 1 and localities, which is nearly equal to all those 2 2 enacted in the prior two decades combined; and 2 3 WHEREAS, in recent years the States have been the 2 4 principal agents of government reform, including 2 5 updating their constitutions, modernizing and 2 6 restructuring governmental institutions, and, along 2 7 with local governments, have been the pioneers of 2 8 government innovation, thus responding to the needs of 2 9 their citizens; and 2 10 WHEREAS, Iowa has been a leader in governmental 2 11 reform by aggressively dealing with many challenges 2 12 confronting the State in recent years and by passing 2 13 measures to reform the state's budgetary practices, 2 14 welfare system, and governmental ethics laws, and to 2 15 continually improve governmental efficiency and 2 16 effectiveness; and 2 17 WHEREAS, persistent, state-led endeavors have 2 18 consistently failed to generate any substantial 2 19 reaction or remedy from the federal government; and 2 20 WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court has 2 21 repeatedly determined that the States must look to the 2 22 Congress and related political remedies for protection 2 23 against federal encroachments on the reserved powers 2 24 of the States; and 2 25 WHEREAS, the convening of a Conference of the 2 26 States will communicate broad bipartisan public 2 27 concern on the extent to which the American political 2 28 system has been changed and provide a formal forum for 2 29 the States to collectively propose constructive 2 30 remedies for a more balanced state-federal governance 3 1 partnership for the twenty-first century; NOW 3 2 THEREFORE, 3 3 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE 3 4 SENATE CONCURRING, That the Iowa General Assembly 3 5 adopt the following proposal calling for the convening 3 6 of a Conference of the States and providing for Iowa's 3 7 participation in the Conference: 3 8 1. A delegation of no more than seven voting 3 9 persons from the State of Iowa shall be appointed to 3 10 represent the State of Iowa at a Conference of the 3 11 States for the purposes described in section 2 of this 3 12 proposal and to be convened as provided in section 3 3 13 of this proposal. The composition of the Iowa 3 14 delegation shall be as follows: 3 15 a. The Governor, or, if the Governor does not wish 3 16 to be a member of the delegation, then a 3 17 constitutional officer selected by the Governor. 3 18 b. No more than six legislators, selected by the 3 19 majority leader of each house, so long as an equal 3 20 number of legislators from each house is selected and 3 21 at least one member from each house is selected from 3 22 each major political party represented in that house. 3 23 The majority leader of each house shall follow the 3 24 recommendations of the minority leader of that house 3 25 regarding the appointment of members of the minority 3 26 party from that house. 3 27 Each majority leader may designate two alternate 3 28 legislator delegates, one from each party, who shall 3 29 have voting privileges in the absence of the primary 3 30 delegates. 4 1 2. The delegates of the Conference of the States 4 2 will propose, debate, and vote on elements of an 4 3 action plan to restore checks and balances between the 4 4 States and the federal government. Measures agreed 4 5 upon will be formalized in an instrument called a 4 6 States' Petition and returned to the delegation's 4 7 state for consideration by the entire legislature. 4 8 3. The Conference of the States shall be convened 4 9 under the auspices of the Council of State 4 10 Governments, organized pursuant to its status as a 4 11 nonprofit organization under Internal Revenue Code } 4 12 501(c)(3), and in cooperation with the National 4 13 Governors' Association and the National Conference of 4 14 State Legislatures no later than 270 days after at 4 15 least 26 legislatures adopt a resolution of 4 16 participation in the Conference. 4 17 4. Prior to the official convening of the 4 18 Conference of the States, a steering committee for the 4 19 Conference of the States, composed of state-elected 4 20 officials, and established by the Council of State 4 21 Governments, in cooperation with the National 4 22 Governors' Association and the National Conference of 4 23 State Legislatures, will draft the following: 4 24 a. The governance structure and procedural and 4 25 operating rules for the Conference. 4 26 b. The process for receiving proposals concerning 4 27 the balance between the federal and state and local 4 28 governments. 4 29 c. The financial and administrative functions of 4 30 the Conference, including the Council of State 5 1 Governments as fiscal agent. 5 2 5. The bylaws for the Conference of the States 5 3 shall: 5 4 a. Conform to the provisions of this resolution. 5 5 b. Specify that each state delegation shall have 5 6 one vote at the Conference. 5 7 c. Specify that the Conference agenda be limited 5 8 to fundamental, structural, long-term reforms. 5 9 6. Upon the official convening of the Conference 5 10 of the States, the state delegations will vote upon 5 11 and approve the Conference governing structure, 5 12 procedural and operating rules, and bylaws. 5 13 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this 5 14 Resolution be sent to the Governor, the steering 5 15 committee for the Conference of the States, the 5 16 Council of State Governments, the National Governors' 5 17 Association, and the National Conference of State 5 18 Legislatures. 5 19 HCR 10 5 20 ec/pk/25
Text: HCR00009 Text: HCR00011 Text: HCR00000 - HCR00099 Text: HCR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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