Texas State Capitol
Legislative Conference Center, E2.002

In the face of overreaching federal regulatory agencies and rule by executive order, the states are quickly losing their powers retained in the Constitution.



Headlines are littered with news of the EPA regulating without authority, the federal DOJ encouraging state Attorneys General not to enforce valid law, and federal rescission of partnership agreements with states on immigration and environmental issues.



The State/Federal balance, developed by our founding fathers, and outlined in the Constitution was meant to reserve those rights not mentioned, for the states. But, states have been put in jeopardy by these federal actions and inactions. What must states do to prepare themselves for the impending constitutional crisis?



There is hope. There are practical solutions that states can adopt that will protect them from fiscal insolvency and the overreach of the federal government. This primer will examine where the states still have room to maneuver to defend their sovereignty with state-based solutions for questioning federal power grabs, evaluating federal dollars with strings, and staying financially agile in face of the coming federal defaults on commitments to states.