Taking a play right out of this administration’s book, Texas Rep. Leo Berman has proposed a new statute that would prosecute anyone who enforces Obamacare in Texas.
HB 297 classes demands for compliance with Obamacare as felonies and penalizes them with up to a $5,000 fine and five years in prison for anyone found guilty of such actions.
The bill states that because federal health care legislation overreaches the constitutional powers of the federal government, such legislation is not recognized or valid in Texas. The bill further states that federal health care legislation is rejected by the state of Texas, being “null and void and of no effect in this state” More after the jump.
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The charges of healthcare enforcement can be levied against any public employee or officer of the state, as well as any “official, agent, or employee of the United States of an employee of a corporation providing services to the United States” who tries to enforce healthcare in Texas.
While 14 states, including Texas, have filed lawsuits against the health care legislation, citing its unconstitutionality, this measure by Texas, if enacted, takes it one step further and could combat healthcare enforcement measures long before any suit against the government will be decided.
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Sources:
Texan Calls for Jail Time for Enforcing Obamacare. Bob Unruh. WorldNet Daily. December 4, 2010. http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=235757
Bill HB 297. Texas Legislature Online: Text. http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/Text.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=HB297
State Attorneys General Sue Over Health Bill. Pete Williams. NBC News. Updated March 23, 2010. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36001783/ns/politics-health_care_reform/
Image Credit: Palnordseth. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Capitol_Austin_Texas.jpg
Copyright © 2010 Daniella Nicole. All Rights Reserved.
