OKTenth.com - Oklahoma's Tenth Amendment Resolution

The Oklahoma Declaration of Sovereignty
Click here to view the current petition results

Governor Brad Henry's veto of HJR1003, which affirms Oklahoma's sovereign rights under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, was in essence a veto of our foundational principles and of the desires of the People of Oklahoma to be a free, sovereign, and independent State.

The People of Oklahoma do not agree with our governor’s denial of our heritage, and of the Supreme Law of our nation!

In its place Representative Charles Key introduced HCR1028, which has already passed both the Oklahoma House and Senate. However, because this is a "concurrent" resolution it does NOT have to be signed by our Governor. While it does make a strong statement by the legislature and the people of this state, it will not become law.

We the People of Oklahoma wish to make an even stronger statement by declaring in a loud unified voice that, unlike Governor Henry, We DO intend to uphold the Constitution for the United States of America and therefore wish to reaffirm our States Rights as per the Tenth Amendment to the constitution of this great nation.

Click here to sign the petition

House bypasses governor’s veto to claim Oklahoma’s sovereignty
BY MICHAEL MCNUTT
Published: May 5, 2009

Although Gov. Brad Henry vetoed similar legislation 10 days earlier, House members Monday again approved a resolution claiming Oklahoma’s sovereignty.

Unlike House Joint Resolution 1003, House Concurrent Resolution 1028 does not need the governor’s approval.

"We’re going to get it done one way or the other,” said the resolutions’ author, Rep. Charles Key, R-Oklahoma City.

House Democrats objected, saying the issue already had been taken up and had been vetoed, but House Speaker Pro Tempore Kris Steele, R-Shawnee, ruled the veto is not final action.

Key said he expects HCR 1028 will pass in the Senate. HJR 1003 earlier passed the House 83-18 and won approval in the Senate 29-18.

Henry vetoed HJR 1003 because he said it suggested, among other things, that Oklahoma should return federal tax dollars.

Key said HCR 1028, which, if passed, would be sent to Democratic President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress, would not jeopardize federal funds but would tell Congress to "get back into their proper constitutional role.” The resolution states the federal government should "cease and desist” mandates that are beyond the scope of its powers.

Key said many federal laws violate the 10th Amendment, which says powers not delegated to the U.S. government "are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.” The Constitution lists about 20 duties required of the U.S. government, he said.

Congress should not be providing bailouts to financial institutions and automakers, he said.

"We give all this money to all these different entities, including automakers, and now they’re talking about, ‘Well maybe it’s better to let them go bankrupt,’” Key said. "Well, maybe we should have let them go bankrupt before we gave them the money.”

Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry has vetoed House Joint Resolution 1003. In a statement released today, Henry said that “there is no need to spend valuable legislative time on a resolution expressing support for any particular amendment or constitutional right”

“Without question, the state of Oklahoma and its leaders support the U.S. Constitution and the rights it guarantees to the states and their citizens, and there is no need to spend valuable legislative time on a resolution expressing support for any particular amendment or constitutional right. Furthermore, HJR 1003 alleges, without offering any evidence or explanation, that past and current U.S. leaders may have violated the Constitution and committed crimes against the states and the country. HJR 1003 also implies that the state should reject federal tax dollars paid to Washington, DC, by Oklahoma citizens, an act that would prevent our tax dollars from being used in Oklahoma to address critical needs in transportation, education, health care, law enforcement, veterans programs and many other vital services beneficial to our state. In short, HJR 1003 could be detrimental to Oklahoma and does not serve the state or its citizens in any positive manner.”

Had the governor signed the resolution, it would have been distributed to the President, the U.S. Congress and other federal offices as an official statement from the state of Oklahoma.

A two-thirds majority in both the house and senate will be required to override Henry’s veto.

In 2008 Oklahoma's District 90 Representative Charles Key introduced Joint House Resolution 1089, better known as "The Tenth Amendment Resolution", which would force the federal government to "cease and desist, effective immediately, mandates that are beyond the scope of these constitutionally delegated powers.” With overwhelming support from the House (92-3 margin) the bill then went to the Oklahoma senate, where they refused to vote on it.

Now, in 2009, Charles Key reintroduces this history-making bill as HJR 1003, and once again sees overwhelming support from the house floor with an 83-13 vote. With support of fellow constitutionalist Senator Randy Brogdon HJR 1003 is scheduled for hearing in the senate sometime this March. With a twin bill (SJR10) written by Brogdon on the table, odds are great that this bill will make into the law books of Oklahoma, and we can begin the process of putting the feds back in their box where they belong.

Oklahoma Leads The Charge
Since the 2008 introduction of the Tenth Amendment Resolution in Oklahoma, a current total of 34 other States have joined Key's effort to create similar legislation.

On March 21st, 2009 citizens of Oklahoma rallied in Tulsa to show support for Oklahoma's sovereignty (click here for footage of the Assembly). Oklahoma had an opportunity to be the first state to pass a Tenth Amendment Resolution, and to show the rest of the several States that we mean business.

If we do not take back our state NOW we will be forced to explain to our children and grandchildren how we sat idly by and allowed Oklahoma to slip into complete federally-created despotism.