Equality State Policy Center president Dan Neal details the passionate debate over HB 35, which would make it illegal to enforce the Affordable Care Act in Wyoming, punishable by a $5,000 fine and felony conviction. This blog post also provides an overview of bills aimed at campaign finance and county elections.
EXCERPT:
The House Labor, Health and Social Services Committee worked hard – and late – on a nullification act that challenges the Affordable Care Act. It is sponsored by Rep. Bob Brechtel R-HD38, Casper) and a dozen other legislators, at least a few of them itching to prove their anti-federalism credentials.
House Bill 35 – Health care choice and protection act proclaims the ACA unconstitutional and thus null and void in Wyoming. As drafted, the bill imposed a $5,000 fine and a felony conviction on any state employee, official, or public servant found to be enforcing the ACA.But the sponsors ran into a storm of criticism from a wide variety of interest groups. Wyoming Public Employees Association lobbyist Bob Kuchera expressed worries that the bill puts state employees at risk of committing a felony if they simply went about their work of implementing the new federal law.
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…must be something in the water in Cheyenne this year, too much of a coincidence that so many legislators have lost their minds…