Federalism and International Relations
Task Force Description
State legislators and their constituents are stakeholders in many of the most important national and international issues of the day. The members of the Federalism and International Relations Task Force believe in the power of free markets and limited government to propel economic growth in the United States and around the globe, and that these guiding principles are just as relevant overseas as they are in America. The Task Force brings together state legislators, policy experts and industry representatives to develop model policy to increase exports, safeguard intellectual property rights, promote the nation’s security, and restore the Constitutionally-designated balance of power between the states and the federal government.
The Task Force has considered and adopted model policy on the very initiatives that grow the U.S. economy, create American jobs and unleash the innovative policy-making capacity of all 50 states. Model policy to address the finalization of a truly free-market Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as well as leverage America’s growing ability to export domestically produced energy are among those in the International policy portfolio. However, American ingenuity and the intellectual property (IP) underpinning it are the engines driving U.S. economic growth. Underscoring the important role that strong IP rights play in creating high-paying American jobs and spurring America’s innovation economy round out the Task Force’s International model policy library.
Real solutions to America’s challenges can be found in the states – America’s fifty laboratories of democracy – not in one-size-fits-all federal government policies that disregard regional differences and local community needs. The nation has drifted away from our Founding Fathers’ vision by concentrating more power with national government structures. Overregulation and redundant bureaucracy that hinder economic growth, a ballooning national debt that threatens our nation’s security, and federal mismanagement of our country’s most precious resource – the lands within America’s borders – have been the consequences of this federal overreach. The Task Force has adopted model policy supporting the use of Article V of the U.S. Constitution as a tool to restore appropriate control to the states including the proposal of a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. ALEC has established the Center to Restore the Balance of Government to serve as a resource to state on setting priorities on state sovereignty issues and to provide the tools lawmakers need to champion policies that lead to state control over state issues.
This unique partnership between those interested in international issues and those whose primary focus is federalism has served Task Force members and the model policy adopted in the Task Force well. Our models are discussed at the highest levels of U.S. federal and state governments, and foreign governments and international bodies are familiar with ALEC model policy related to their regions.
In order to capitalize on the specialized knowledge of the Task Force members we have formed three subcommittees: Federalism, Intellectual Property and National Security. Subcommittee Chairs are specialists in their respective disciplines having worked on these issues within their legislatures and/or in their careers outside the legislature.
All Model Policies
-
Memorial Supporting the Congressional Joint Resolution Proposing a Constitutional Amendment Requiring that SCOTUS Be Composed of Nine Justices Final
BE it resolved by the [INSERT LEGISLATIVE CHAMBER] of the State (or Commonwealth) of [INSERT STATE or COMMONWEALTH]: Section 1. That the Congress of the United States is directed to propose to the states the following amendment to the United States Constitution: “The Supreme Court of the United States …
-
Model Application under Article V of the U.S. Constitution to Propose an Amendment to Require the Supreme Court of the United States to Be Composed of Nine Justices Final
Section 1. The legislature of [INSERT STATE NAME] hereby makes an application to Congress, as provided by Article V of the Constitution of the United States of America, to call a convention limited to proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America to require that the …
-
Resolution Urging Congress to Reassert Its Constitutional Authority over International Commerce Final
Whereas Article 1 Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution confers upon Congress the exclusive authority “To regulate commerce with foreign nations.”; and Whereas Article 1 Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution also states that “The Congress shall have the Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts, and Excises to …
-
Resolution Supporting the United States in Signing a Bilateral Trade Agreement with Taiwan Final
Whereas, the United States and Taiwan have enjoyed long-standing partnership with the shared common values of freedom, democracy, and human rights; and Whereas, Taiwan is an exceedingly vibrant and dynamic democracy, described as a “democratic beacon of hope” for the Indo-Pacific, serving as a key trading partner and strategic ally …
-
Emergency Power Limitation Act Final
Therefore, be it enacted: Section 1. Nothing in this act grants additional emergency powers to the governor or any other official. Section 2. State and local officials may issue nonbinding recommendations and guidelines, and they may help coordinate public and private action to prevent or respond to an emergency. Section …
-
Urging the United States Government to Keep the American People Safe and Healthy by Decreasing the Nation’s Dependency on Foreign Manufactured Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Medicine, Particularly from China Final
WHEREAS, many citizens of the United States depend on pharmaceutical drugs to cure, treat, or prevent disease and these drugs can result in lifesaving and life sustaining outcomes; and WHEREAS, China has become the world’s largest supplier of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimates …