Republicans have declared Monday Tenth Amendment Day in the Senate, and they plan to vote this week on three bills that highlight the constitutional amendment that relegates to the states any powers not given to the federal government.

The Republicans said they are fighting back against what they consider federal encroachment on states’ rights.

Among the legislation they will consider is a constitutional amendment re-introduced by Sen. Judson Hill to let Georgians choose whether they want to buy health insurance, an attempt to bypass federal health care reform that is currently being challenged in federal court.

“Senate Resolution 55 does one thing: It protects the right of all Georgians to choose the health care of their choice, whether that be government-run health care, private health care or no health care whatsoever, without the fear of being fined or penalized,” Hill said.

“Regardless of what happens with the constitutional challenges to Obamacare, whether that bill survives the challenges or not, Georgians deserve that right and they deserve to have it permanent in the Constitution,” he said.

The Senate will also vote on a bill to delay enforcing new federal emissions guidelines until the state determines the guidelines' impact on businesses.

A third bill would allow companies in Georgia to manufacture incandescent light bulbs after a federal ban on them goes into effect in 2014.

Tags: emissions, Georgia Senate, Federal healthcare legislation, Tenth Amendment, incandescent light bulbs