Raleigh – The fight for health care freedom continues in North Carolina. Yesterday, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R-Rockingham), Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown (R-Onslow), House Speaker Thom Tillis (R-Mecklenburg) and House Majority Leader Paul Stam (R-Wake) filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the 26 states suing the Federal government to stop the implementation of the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” The brief was filed with the United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit Court in Atlanta.
In March, Governor Perdue vetoed House Bill 2, a measure sponsored by House Majority Leader Paul Stam, Rep. Jeff Barnhart (R-Cabarrus), Rep. Mark Hollo (R-Alexander) and Rep. Tom Murry (R-Wake), which seeks to protect North Carolinians from the unconstitutional “individual mandate” requiring citizens to provide for health care services or to enroll in a public or private insurance plan or health care system. The Senate was able to override the Governor’s veto but an attempt by the House fell short.
Republican Leaders joined the suit after Attorney General Roy Cooper issued an opinion to side with the Federal government despite passage of the bill by the North Carolina General Assembly. A memorandum from the nonpartisan Legislative Research Division has concluded that it is appropriate for the Attorney General of North Carolina to pursue a defense of the General Assembly’s position if House Bill 2 becomes law.
“North Carolinians are citizens. They are not subjects of Washington, D.C. who can be ordered under threat of fines and penalties to buy things they do not want and cannot afford” said House Majority Leader Paul Stam.
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