No sure if she speaks for all tea parties but I’m a fan of hers. She’s well spoken and speaks with facts behind her. She was clearly the teacher in a room with short bus riding window lickers.

Now that the 111th Congress has come and gone… After creating more laws than any congress since the 30’s, we will see if the fruits of our labor are rewarded or scorned. the 112th comes in soon and so far I’m not happy with the R’s that are staying on. Some did fine, but a lot of them should be gone ASAP!

This is one thing I like:

New GOP Staffers Instructed on How to Cite Constitutional Justification

Someone sent me the text of an info packet being given to GOP staffers in a series of training sessions on how they are to comply with a requirement to cite exactly where in the Constitution is the justification for the legislation they and their member are writing during the upcoming 112th Congress.

We’ve heard that Boehner might institute this rule to force all legislators to justify their new laws by citing the clause that gives them the power to write the law. Let’s hope that this idea doesn’t die still born and that it becomes a new and long-lasting part of how our lawmakers write legislation.

Take a look at these guidelines. I like the idea…

TO: Members of the 112th Congress, Committee Staff Directors and Counsels; Member Staff

FR: Speaker-Designate Boehner, Majority Leader-Elect Eric Cantor, Rules Committee Chairman-Elect David Dreier, Transition Team Chairman Greg Walden

DT: December 17, 2010

RE: New Constitutional Authority Requirement for Legislation

The Pledge to America released by House Republicans in September of this year included a commitment to “require every bill to cite its specific Constitutional Authority.” To implement this proposal, the Transition Team and the Elected Republican Leadership are recommending a change to standing Rules of the House to require that each bill or joint resolution introduced in the House be accompanied by a statement citing the specific powers granted to Congress in the Constitution to enact the proposed law.

As this requirement will apply to all bills and joint resolutions introduced in the 112th Congress — including those introduced on the first day — we are writing to provide early guidance for complying with this rule so as to minimize any disruption caused by its implementation. Our staff will also hold bipartisan briefings for your staff to assist in compliance with this new requirement.

TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULES CHANGE:

The new rule will be a new paragraph of clause 7 of rule XII:

“(c) A bill or joint resolution may not be introduced unless the sponsor has submitted for printing in the Congressional Record a statement citing as specifically as practicable the power or powers granted to Congress in the Constitution to enact the bill or joint resolution. The statement shall appear in a portion of the Record designated for that purpose and be made publicly available in electronic form by the Clerk.”

COMPLIANCE WITH THE PROPOSED RULE:

When a Member presents a bill or joint resolution for introduction and referral (when it is dropped in the “hopper”), the bill must be accompanied by a separate sheet of paper citing the constitutional authority to enact the proposed bill or joint resolution. Below is the suggested format for the citation:

Member Signature:____________________

(Bill Number Here)

CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

Pursuant to clause 7 of Rule XII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the following statement is submitted regarding the specific powers granted to Congress in the Constitution to enact the accompanying bill or joint resolution.

___________________________________

___________________________________.

The blanks above are to be filled in by the sponsor.

It will be interesting to see how long it lasts and how many times the “Commerce clause” is used.