Partisan Politics Trumps Supreme Law-People of Maine Lose to the Game

House Republican Office________________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information:

March 26, 2009 Jay Finegan, 287-1445
Rep. Cebra Disappointed by Democratic

Rejection of Sovereignty Resolution for the State of Maine
AUGUSTA – State Rep. Rich Cebra expressed disappointment that legislative leadership today blocked his resolution to reaffirm the sovereignty of the State of Maine, as guaranteed by the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The 6-4 vote in the Legislative Council followed party lines, with all six Democrats voting to bar the resolution from consideration by the Legislature. All four Republicans on the council voted to allow the resolution, LR 722, to proceed. Bills and resolutions submitted after the deadline for legislation must be approved by the council to advance to full consideration.
“It’s unfortunate that the Democrats won’t stand up for the sovereignty of our state and for limiting the intrusion of the federal government into Maine affairs,” said Rep. Cebra (R-Naples). “They must like being told how to run the State of Maine from Washington. But the framers of the Constitution included the 10th Amendment for a good reason. The amendment says that the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution are reserved to the states and to the people.
“I find it very disturbing that the central government in Washington now runs roughshod over states’ rights,” he added. “And it is equally disturbing the Maine’s majority party will not even allow a discussion about our sovereignty to be heard. It was not the federal government that created the states. The states created the federal government, but they were careful to limit its powers to things like providing for the common defense.”
Rep. Cebra submitted his resolution as part of a growing movement across the country by citizens who want the federal government to respect the limits placed on it by the 10th Amendment. He patterned his resolution after one that passed the Oklahoma Legislature last year. The Oklahoma resolution states in part that “many federal mandates are directly in violation of the 10th Amendment.”
Rep. Cebra said he objects to mandates from Congress that force Maine to spend money or otherwise “submit to federal rule,” he said. He listed such things as the Real ID law and federal funding programs which, he said, “force the states to implement programs and provide services in accordance with the desires of federal authorities. Medicaid is one example and federal highway regulations are another.”
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