Texas Political News for Lobbyists: HB 47
House Bill No. 47 is also known as the “Texas Liberty Preservation Act”. The bill was first filed on June 7th of 2013. The Legislature outlines that the 10th amendment to the U.S. Constitution authorizes the federal government to exercise only the powers that are specifically designated in Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution. This is a guaranty on the limit of federal government powers. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution affirms that the laws of the United States federal government are the supreme laws of the country, only if these laws are adopted under Article I, Section 8’s outlined specifications. There is concern that the “National Defense Authorization Act” of 2012, and the “Authorization for the use of Military Force” of 2001 violate civil liberties. Therefore, the Texas Legislation has drafted the “Texas Liberty Preservation Act” to illustrate their thoughts.