A resolution designating June 6, 2026, as National Naloxone Awareness Day.

This resolution is a non-binding expression of sentiment by the Senate, not a law imposing any obligation or expenditure. The Constitution vests Congress with enumerated legislative powers in Article I, Section 8, but does not prohibit either house from adopting resolutions that express its views or commemorate events. Such resolutions are a traditional and accepted part of legislative practice, consistent with the principle of republican government that allows representatives to communicate their sentiments. While no specific enumerated power authorizes the designation of a national day, the …

The Constitution grants to Congress only those powers enumerated in Article I, Section 8. Nowhere does it authorize the federal legislature to designate national days of awareness. Such an act, though symbolic, is an exercise of power not delegated to the United States and is therefore reserved to the States or the people under the Tenth Amendment. The federal government must confine itself to its delegated powers, lest it encroach upon the liberties of the people and the sovereignty of the States.

The resolution designating a national day of awareness is a non-binding expression of the sense of Congress. It does not exercise any coercive power or regulate conduct, and thus falls within the incidental authority of Congress to make such declarations under the Necessary and Proper Clause, as it is a convenient means of expressing the collective sentiment of the legislative body. The Tenth Amendment reserves to the states all powers not delegated, but this resolution does not intrude upon state sovereignty as it imposes no legal duty. In Federalist No. 45, I noted that the powers of the fed…

This resolution merely designates a day of awareness, imposing no duty or penalty upon any person. It is an expression of sentiment and a recommendation, not a law. Congress possesses the authority to pass resolutions of this nature under its general legislative powers, so long as they do not infringe upon the enumerated powers or the rights reserved to the States. Such a designation neither violates the separation of powers nor any specific constitutional prohibition. As noted in Marbury v. Madison, the Court's province is to interpret the Constitution only when a case or controversy requires…