Leave it to the states

Leave it to the states

Cry Wolf Quotes

Members of the Council of State Chambers of Commerce do not argue with the principal of equal pay for equal work. However, they have consistently advocated and endorsed a policy of home rule. State legislation on such subjects is preferred to Federal legislation whenever practical. Twenty-two States have enacted equal pay bills. This in itself…indicates that States can adequately cover this subject, and no need exists for additional Federal legislation.

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James E. Fagan, speaking on behalf of the Council of State Chambers of Commerce, Testimony, House Hearing.
03/26/1963 | Full Details | Law(s): Equal Pay Act

Unwise because it is an unnecessary extension of Federal power and would seem to be a step toward the deprecation of State sovereignty. I am one who still believes in the American system of Government the States have important functions and that State sovereignty is a fundamental and inherent principal of the American democracy.

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West Virginia’s Democratic Governor, Homer Holt, testimony, Subcommittee of the Committee on Mines and Mining.
06/11/1940 | Full Details | Law(s): Mine Safety Act of 1941

The people of each state, and they alone, are best qualified to judge whether conditions in their own jurisdiction are such that there is social need for an equal pay law….Any view that only the Federal Government can handle this problem shows a distrust of the States and indicates an unfortunate trend toward creating an over-centralized, top-heavy government by bringing all problems to Washington.

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William Miller representative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Testimony, House Hearing.
03/26/1963 | Full Details | Law(s): Equal Pay Act

The Act broadly authorizes the Secretary to grab any police powers in the occupational health and safety fields that are now held by states. State safety officials could be forced to report directly to the federal Secretary when he says so.

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Chamber of Commerce magazine, Nation’s Business. April, 1968.