WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Higgins (R-LA) introduced a Legislative Proposal of four bills that abolish four existing Federal Agencies with a transition to State Authority. This legislation reduces federal spending, eliminates unnecessary federal agencies, and builds state service capacity through block grants.
“America has been driving itself towards bankruptcy, and some of us have grabbed the wheel. Correction is a requirement, or financial collapse is inevitable. We are the legislative branch of government, and we have an obligation to present actual, legitimate, and Constitutionally sound solutions,” said Congressman Higgins. “For many months, I’ve been working on a legislative package of bills that offer a model for a solution. These four bills, each arguably controversial in its own writ, are designed to spur vigorous debate and ultimately, action by Congress to address the doomsday financial collapse that is fueled by FedGov waste, fraud, abuse, and massive, ineffective scope.”
The four-bill package eliminates federal agencies where an equivalent agency or department exists at the state level, while simultaneously enhancing the associated services to the citizenry by empowering and funding the state through a block-grant program established by Congress. The combined savings of the legislative package are estimated to be over $54 billion annually.
The bills include the Sovereign States Emergency Management Act, the Sovereign State Environmental Quality Assurance Act, the Sovereign States Bureau of Prisons Restructuring Act, and the Sovereign States Education Restoration Act.
The package introduces a formula to:
- Abolish unnecessary federal agencies—The Department of Education, Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Prisons, and Federal Emergency Management Agency are prime for abolishment. They are top-heavy, bloated agencies, and any service they allegedly perform could be better handled by the states. A transition to local control at the state level would no doubt improve upon the former federal agencies, that threshold being very, very low, and every American employee of these agencies would have a full opportunity to fill positions opened within the expanded state agency. Best practice policy would emerge, efficiencies would be shared from state to state, and the citizenry would ultimately, and quickly, benefit from this bold action to restore state authority, as the Founders intended.
- Build State Capacity—Every state has a government entity equivalent to each federal agency to be dismantled. Funding would be provided to the states at a level equal to half of the FY19 budget of the federal agency that is being abolished, returning federal spending to far below pre-COVID levels while at the same time demolishing bloated bureaucracy and enhancing actual services to We the People.
- Reduce federal involvement to grant administration and oversight of state spending—A portion of funding (10% of FY19 levels) would be used to ensure proper grant administration through the US Treasury, and another portion (10% of FY19 levels) would be reserved for appropriate federal oversight, audit and reporting to Congress.
Read a summary brief here.
Read the Sovereign States Emergency Management Act here.
Read the Sovereign State Environmental Quality Assurance Act here.
Read the Sovereign States Bureau of Prisons Restructuring Act here.
Read the Sovereign States Education Restoration Act here.
