Marsha Blackburn Resolution
Marsha Blackburn Resolution
S. RES. ll
117TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
RESOLUTION
Commemorating September 17, 2022, as ‘‘Constitution Day’’
and celebrating the signing of the Constitution.
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motes the general welfare, and secures the blessings of
liberty, now and for future generations;
Whereas the Constitution guarantees that no one can be de-
prived of life, liberty, or property without due process of
law, including unborn children;
Whereas the Constitution protects the rights of conscience
against the enterprises of the civil authority;
Whereas the Constitution affirms that the Government of the
United States exists to serve its citizens;
Whereas the Constitution grants power to a national, Federal
Government while preserving fundamental, individual
rights;
Whereas the Constitution separates the power of the Federal
government into 3 branches: executive, judicial, and legis-
lative;
Whereas the powers of each branch of the Federal Govern-
ment are delegated in the Constitution, with powers not
assigned to the branches reserved to the States;
Whereas the Constitution grants the executive power to the
President;
Whereas the Constitution does not allow the President to
enact national policies in areas that are reserved solely to
Congress under the Constitution;
Whereas the Constitution grants judicial power to the Su-
preme Court and inferior courts that Congress may or-
dain and establish;
Whereas justices and judges have constitutional limits on
their power;
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Whereas an activist judiciary that usurps powers reserved to
the people through other branches of government is a
threat to the United States;
Whereas the judiciary should interpret laws as written by
Congress rather than allowing executive agencies to re-
write those laws to suit a political agenda;
Whereas the Constitution grants all legislative powers to Con-
gress, which consists of a Senate and a House of Rep-
resentatives;
Whereas the Constitution assigns to Congress the responsi-
bility for organizing the executive and judicial branches,
raising revenue, declaring war, and making all laws nec-
essary for executing these powers;
Whereas it is a breach of trust for Congress to delegate ex-
cessive legislative authority to executive departments,
agencies, and commissions, thus empowering the adminis-
trative state instead of the elected representatives of the
people of the United States;
Whereas the Constitution protects the democracy of the
United States;
Whereas elections are a vital component of democracy;
Whereas the Constitution states that the times, places, and
manner of holding elections for Senators and Representa-
tives shall be prescribed in each State by the legislature
of that State;
Whereas article I, section 5 of the Constitution—
(1) provides that ‘‘Each House [of Congress] may
determine the Rules of its Proceedings’’; and
(2) authorizes the Senate to make procedural rules,
including the length of debate;
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Whereas no one may unilaterally rewrite or otherwise impugn
the validity of the text of the Constitution;
Whereas the Constitution can only be changed by amend-
ment;
Whereas an amendment to the Constitution may be proposed
by a 2⁄3 vote of both Houses of Congress, or, if 2⁄3 of the
States request an amendment, by a convention called for
that purpose;
Whereas an amendment to the Constitution must be ratified
by 3⁄4 of the State legislatures or 3⁄4 of conventions called
in each State for ratification;
Whereas, according to the First Amendment to the Constitu-
tion—
(1) Congress shall make no law respecting an estab-
lishment of religion or prohibiting free exercise of reli-
gion; and
(2) Congress shall make no law abridging the free-
dom of speech or of the press;
Whereas, according to the Second Amendment to the Con-
stitution, the right of the people to keep and bear arms
shall not be infringed;
Whereas Congress may not pass laws that deny or abridge
any constitutional rights;
Whereas it is unconstitutional for the Federal Government to
wield its authority beyond the scope of power delegated
to it or to use that authority as a political weapon
against the rights of States to pass voter identification
laws, oversee the health care of their citizens, draft cur-
ricula, and craft other laws and policies consistent with
the Constitution;
Whereas constitutional rights are not negotiable;
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Whereas all legislation, regulations, and official actions
should conform to the original meaning of the Constitu-
tion as understood at the time the language was adopted;
Whereas the Constitution was written during the Philadelphia
Convention, now known as the Constitutional Convention,
which convened from May 25 to September 17, 1787;
and
Whereas Constitution Day commemorates the formation and
signing of the Constitution by 39 courageous men on
September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Now,
therefore, be it
1 Resolved, That the Senate—
2 (1) celebrates the signing of the Constitution of
3 the United States by recognizing Constitution Day
4 on September 17, 2022; and
5 (2) affirms that the Constitution of the United
6 States is not a flexible document, but an enduring
7 covenant.