The Assembly of State Legislative Leaders, a new bipartisan coalition of more than 40 lawmakers from over 30 states, met in Columbus, Ohio, and unanimously approved a 449-word declaration defending states’ independent lawmaking authority. The statement urges federal agencies, Congress and the president to respect the constitutional division of authority and limits federal preemption to narrow cases of direct constitutional conflict or issues unsuited to state action. Organized with help from the National Conference of State Legislatures, the group discussed Medicaid, education and land-management issues and elected Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman presiding officer and Hawaii Senate President Ron Kouchi recording secretary.
Bipartisan State Leaders Unite in Columbus, Urge Federal Respect for States’ Rights
More than 40 state legislative leaders from over 30 states met this week in Columbus, Ohio, for the inaugural Assembly of State Legislative Leaders, a new bipartisan coalition pressing for renewed attention to states’ rights and state-level policymaking.
Declaration Calls For Renewed Federal Restraint
At the conference the Assembly unanimously approved a 449-word declaration urging federal officials to respect the constitutional division of authority and to refrain from unnecessary intrusion into state lawmaking. The declaration frames federalism as a basic constitutional principle and emphasizes that the Constitution was adopted by the states to allow both collective and independent governance.
The document demands that federal agency rules, congressional legislation and executive orders acknowledge state authority and allow states the space to adopt a wide variety of laws tailored to local needs. It opposes broad federal preemption of state laws except in narrowly defined circumstances: when a law creates a direct conflict with the Constitution or when a matter cannot be effectively addressed at the state level.
Context And Issues Discussed
The Assembly formation underscores rising tensions over policy jurisdiction between state governments and the federal administration. The declaration explicitly cited a recent presidential executive order intended to supersede state regulations on artificial intelligence as an example of that tension; lawmakers from both parties said they will continue to file and advance state-level AI legislation in response.
Organized with help from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the meeting included discussions on several federalism-related topics, including Medicaid implementation, K-12 and higher education policy, and land and natural-resource management. In September, NCSL wrote to federal leaders expressing bipartisan concern about federal actions it said threatened state authority and opposing a White House review of state regulations deemed burdensome to businesses.
Leadership And Next Steps
Ohio Republican state House Speaker Matt Huffman was elected presiding officer of the new Assembly, and Hawaii Democratic state Senate President Ron Kouchi was chosen as recording secretary. Huffman said he hoped this would be the first of many declarations by state legislative leaders, and Kouchi described the meeting as "a good beginning" for candid, practical conversations about preserving and strengthening the role of states under the Constitution.
“We have accomplished the first of what I hope is a long list of future declarations from state legislative leaders,” Huffman said in a statement.
“I am pleased the top state legislative leaders from both parties were able to come together and have a candid, practical conversation about how we can better preserve and strengthen the role of the states within our constitutional framework,” Kouchi said.
The Assembly plans to continue meeting and issuing guidance aimed at clarifying the balance between federal action and state authority.
