State Republican lawmakers are asking Attorney General Drew Edmondson to join with more than 10 other states in suing the federal government over the constitutionality of recently passed health care reform.
The bill passed Sunday night in the U.S. House of Representatives without a single Republican vote, and Oklahoma Republicans are joining with other GOP leaders across the country to legally challenge the bill against the U.S. Constitution.
“We are dealing with a government that wants to be all things to all people,” said Oklahoma House Speaker Chris Benge, R-Tulsa. “We are dealing with a government with no boundaries that wants to create a utopian society.”
Benge said he is concerned the new federal regulations could endanger Oklahoma’s current program that partners private and public partnership to help Oklahomans without insurance receive health insurance coverage.
“We are calling on the attorney general to file suit against provisions of this health care bill that hurt our efforts to provide health care to our citizens,” Benge said.
Benge said the state of Oklahoma has the right to sue the federal government because of the problems he said Oklahoma would face under the new reforms.
“Just because Congress passes a law, doesn’t make it constitutional,” Benge said. “We have every right as a state to challenge the constitutionality of this bill.”
State Senate President Pro-Tempore Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, called the bill the “Democrat Job Elimination Bill of 2010.”
Coffee said the era of big government had returned to America, and would be a disaster for the state of Oklahoma.
Edmondson said Monday he’s directed his attorneys to research several constitutional concerns raised about the federal bill, including unfunded mandates on states, mandatory participation in private insurance and possible violations of the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution.
“There may be others,” said Edmondson, who is running for governor. “We will continue to research and weigh our options.”
Two months ago, Edmondson joined 14 other attorneys general in urging congressional leaders to strike a provision from the health care reform bill they argued included an unconstitutional political deal for the state of Nebraska.
But Edmondson said Monday he’s not clear about whether that provision and several others will be repealed under a companion measure also passed in the U.S. House that makes a series of changes to the original health care bill.
“Until the Senate acts on the reconciliation bill and the president either signs it or doesn’t, we don’t know what the law says,” Edmondson said.
Health care reform passed the U.S. House by a vote of 219-210 victory. The U.S. Senate is set to take up a reconciliation bill in the near future. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said Sunday he has a majority vote to pass reconciliation in his chamber.
—The Associated Press Contributed to this report
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tlc 2 years, 2 months ago
Minor change?! Evidently you haven't read the bill either!
Koolaid drinkers and robots crack me up. . .
datboymccoy 2 years, 2 months ago
I like how "TheJR" considers a nearly $1 trillion overhaul a "minor" change
soonerboomers 2 years, 2 months ago
lol at joelawson. Good satire.
jssooner4 2 years, 2 months ago
I'm suing texas. They make me carry auto insurance. I'm also suing my apartment complex, as they require me to carry renters insurance. Hell I'll just sue anybody who makes me do anything that I don't like. Seems like that is the best way to deal with things we disagree with today.
rlvisor 2 years, 2 months ago
Dumb.. rekon so, we were the only state to have all 77 counties vote against obama in the presidential election.
We should join this effort to repeal this unconstitution law and then begin the process of removing all the current dems from office. It will not take long.
After Obama finishes his reading of the Koran for the evening..perhaps he will look out side his window at the unemployment lines that have tripled since he took office.
Freak197 are you a government employee?
rekon so.
TheJR 2 years, 2 months ago
I like how there's a minor change to an already screwed up healthcare system and the majority of the conservative population is calling for a revolution.
Uninformed people crack me up. It's like some sort of fad.
joelawson 2 years, 2 months ago
The War has just begun Oklahoma! Our fore fathers fought to make our country great. We had the right to pursue happiness and make a better home for our families. We had the right to protect our homes and choose how we accomplished that. Now our leaders are putting restrictions on us They are taking away our freedom, NOT MY LIFE NOT MY FAMILY. OKLAHOMA THIS IS A CALL TO ACTION AND WE AS A STATE NEED TO STAND TOGETHER AND AT THE TOP OF OUR LUNGS SCREEM “Give me liberty or give me death.”
freak197 2 years, 2 months ago
this state is so dumb!
DerAdler 2 years, 2 months ago
This State is so dumb? There are some things that are dumb but not the state. Kind of like the person that makes a statement like that. I am sure you can find something wrong with every state in the Union. Kool-Aid drinkers just need to shut up and drink their Kool-Aid. Robots more like Lemmings.