Sen. Coburn and Rep. Shadegg Join Forces to Restore Limited Government
Sen. Coburn (R-OK) files senate counterpart to Rep. Shadeggs’s Enumerated Powers Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), filed S.3159, the Enumerated Powers Act, which is championed in the U.S. House of Representatives as H.R. 1359, sponsored by Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ 3rd). Americans for Tax Reform applauds Sen. Coburn and Rep. Shadegg for sponsoring this piece of legislation.
The bill requires that all bills introduced in the U.S. Congress include a “concise and definite statement” setting forth the specific constitutional authority “relied upon for enactment,” and gives rise to a point of order in either House of Congress for failure to do so.
“The Enumerated Powers Act will force a long-overdue restoration of the role of limited government and the integrity of the U.S. Constitution,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “For too long, Congress has legislated beyond the limited authority clearly spelled out in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, leaving taxpayers to bear the burden for a costly and ever-increasing expansion of government programs and bureaucracies.”
Rep. Shadegg has introduced a version of this legislation every session since the 105th Congress, but Sen. Coburn’s sponsorship marks the first time the bill is introduced to the Senate. Since its introduction in this Congress, H.R. 1359 has gathered 50 co-sponsors from across the country who hope to see the legislation continue its path towards reinstating the role of government set forth by the US Constitution.
“Congress has clearly strayed from the path the Founding Fathers had envisioned it. We have let government overstep its authority and intrude on powers once left to the states and to the people,” With this legislation, Congress has the opportunity to get back on the right track to restoring the limited federal government that was clearly defined by the Constitution and our Founding Fathers."