Jul 26 2023 40 mins 1
With so much news centered on laws being passed by state legislatures, many with heated controversy, we turned to the 10th Amendment of the US Constitution:
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
So anything not explicitly allowed or prohibited by the federal government is up to "We the People"? Reproductive choice? Voter rights? Firearms? Healthcare? Infrastructure? Marijuana? All of it.
Yes. We the People – via our legislatures – decide what goes or doesn't go. And the make-up of those bodies have the power to enact laws on the multitude of civil and other rights that have significant or profound impact on our everyday lives.
In this new episode of our CITIZENARTS’ series IN THEIR WORDS: What public officials do for us, we talk to New York State Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, who ensures the voices of her constituents are heard loud and clear.
Assemblymember Simon is a self-described lifetime fighter for equal rights and is nationally recognized expert on, and advocate for, the rights of people with disabilities. She is an exemplar of community activism who’s been elected to state government with over 90% of the vote in her Brooklyn community.
Join us for an engaging discussion with this fighter from Brooklyn who gives us an insider's view of the sometimes rough and tumble workings of state legislature – and how the 10th Amendment is relevant to our lives.
EPISODE NOTES:
More about IN THEIR WORDS: What public officials do for us can be found at https://www.citizenartscreative.org/intheirwords
Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon's New York State Assembly web page: https://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Jo-Anne-Simon
More about Extreme Risk Protection Order (NY’s Red Flag Law), sponsored by Assemblymember Simon: https://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Jo-Anne-Simon/story/101929
Text and discussion of the 10th Amendment, which gives states the power to legislate matters that don't conflict with the US Constitution: https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-10/
Civic education is important but disappearing, as evidenced by a recent assessment: https://www.npr.org/2023/05/03/1173432887/history-and-civics-scores-drop-for-u-s-eighth-graders-on-national-test
An essential mission at CITIZENARTS is to foster greater understanding of civic issues. We'd love to hear from you about this topic! Email [email protected] and follow us on Instagram: @citizenartsedu, Facebook: @citizenartsedu, Twitter: @citizenartsedu, Threads: @citizenartsedu
Music credit: Frederic Chopin, Waltz in B minor. Music by Nesrality from Pixabay
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We are a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit educational organization. Visit https://tinyurl.com/CApodcasts to access our growing selection of civics-related and historically significant programs. They include MARCH, an audio drama about Hitler’s rise to dictatorial power; Liberty vs. Tyranny: Czech Views on Ukraine, Freedom and Democracy Shaped by Strife with Russia; and A More – or less – Perfect Union, a nationwide debate about hyper-critical social, civic and political issues in the U.S.
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