Rep. James Knox (R-Billings) is Attempting to Redefine the 14th Amendment

Today, the House Federal Relations, Energy, and Telecommunications Committee heard a bill from Rep. James Knox (R-Billings).

This bill attempts to radically redefine the 14th Amendment of our U.S. Constitution. This amendment was added after the Civil War to undo the Dred Scott decision that said that blacks could not be citizens of the U.S. It also states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the state wherin they reside.

Under Rep. Knox’s bill Native Americans, people with dual citizenship and their children would likely no longer be considered Montana citizens. This bill is blatantly unconstitutional and seeks to punish children born in this country, who have a constitutional right to citizenship under the U.S. Constitution.

During the hearing Rep. Knox was clearly unsure of what exactly his bill would do. When questioned about the rights and privileges of being a Montana citizen, he was unable to state which privileges this bill would remove from those affected by the bill.

Perhaps more egregious than his misunderstanding of the 14th Amendment was the offensive and derisive terms he used to refer to the children of immigrants.

This bill is another example of Republicans in the legislature pursing a radical social agenda, that is blatantly unconstitutional, despite their promise to their constituents to focus on jobs and the economy.