In NBC’s hit comedy The Office one of the main character’s Angela is currently dating a state senator.  Angela, being one for flaunting her self-perceived superiority has made a big deal out of the fact that she is dating a state senator.   However her colleagues in the office constantly make fun of her due to the fact that state politicians have been widely perceived as being insignificant.  Yet this ignorance and indifference towards state politicians is not uncommon in America.

Before our nation became a nation we were thirteen individual colonies who came together to throw off the yoke of tyranny.  Despite this coming together each state retained a significant amount of sovereignty.  Even after the states abandoned the articles of confederation and created the constitution they still retained a large amount of sovereignty.  Yet today the states are largely ignored and viewed as an annoyance by the white house.  There are no greater examples of this than the white house’s attempts to vilify Governors Scott Walker (R-Wi) and Rick Scott (R-Fl).  Sadly state governments are only deemed noteworthy when they act in opposition to the Federal Government.

However, Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Denny Rehberg have introduced legislation that would change all of that.  Senator Rubio has introduced Senate Bill 1009 also known as the Refund Act, which would allow state legislatures to rescind unwanted federal funds.  Those unwanted funds would then be used to help pay off the national debt.   Also in the House of Representatives Congressman Rehberg has introduced the house companion to Rubio’s bill H.R. 1358. 

These bills would help give back some sovereignty to the states and the state legislatures.  By allowing each state to have the capacity to reject federal funds they are inherently placing another check on the power of the president.  If these bills where to be passed they would increase the notoriety and importance of state elections, while also working to reduce the national debt.  These are important issues facing our country and they need to be addressed which is why I urge you to contact your congressman and tell them to support H.R.1358 and S.1009.