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Committee recommends SJR 6 endorsing state jurisdiction under federalism; one member records opposition
Summary
Committee voted to favorably recommend SJR 6, a joint resolution urging state agencies to review federal regulations for preemption, after debate about the balance between federal regulatory consistency and state sovereignty. The vote recorded one “no.”
A Senate committee voted to send SJR 6 — a joint resolution supporting state jurisdiction under the principle of federalism — to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation; one committee member recorded a “no” vote.
Senator Harper presented the resolution, framing it as a reaffirmation of the Tenth Amendment and saying recent U.S. Supreme Court case law—particularly Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and the narrowing of the Chevron doctrine—reinforces states’ authority to resist federal rulemaking that preempts state law. “We have the ability to do that, and, I think it’s, you know, not this ability, it’s a constitutional ability,” the sponsor said during the presentation.
Senator Kwan expressed hesitation about the resolution’s language and said the measure felt “a little heavy handed,” but acknowledged the importance of balancing state and federal authority. “I do see value in being able to have rulings that come from agencies that . . . can have consistency across the states,” Kwan said.
Senator Owens argued for stronger language and urged support, saying, “We can’t run by, in my opinion, just, bureaucrats who make up rules that, are not passed and taken through Congress.” After discussion, Senator Owens moved the favorable recommendation. The committee chair called a vote; the roll was not read into the record, but the chair announced, “We have 1 no vote. So, we’ll register that.” The resolution was forwarded to the full Senate.
The transcript shows the sponsor drew on language and policy sources when drafting the resolution, citing Supreme Court opinions and referencing model language from national groups such as the National Conference of State Legislatures, the American Legislative Exchange Council and the Council of State Governments, as well as statements from some members of the U.S. Congress.
SJR 6 asks state agencies to review existing state regulations and laws for potential federal preemption; the transcript does not record implementing steps, fiscal notes or specific agency timelines.
