ATLANTA – State Representative Jason Spencer (R-Woodbine) commented today on Governor Nathan Deal signing into law House Bill 943, legislation which establishes that neither the State of Georgia, or any of its departments, will use money or human resources to advance the voluntary expansion of the state’s eligibility in the Affordable Care Act. Rep. Spencer introduced the language of HB 943 that was originally contained in HB 707, which was sponsored by Rep. Spencer during this year’s legislative session. HB 943 was signed into law by Governor Deal today, Tuesday, April 29, 2014.
“I applaud Governor Deal’s signature on HB 943 (HB 707), the Georgia Healthcare Freedom Act,” said Rep. Spencer. “The Governor listened to the overwhelming sentiment among the people and health community in Georgia protesting the multiple infirmities that riddle the health insurance prescriptions of Obamacare. It places Georgia in first place among the States in employing its constitutional authority as expounded by the United States Supreme Court to refrain administering or enforcing Obamacare. The federal government would like nothing more than to blame state authorities for the multiple ills caused by its health care debacle: lost jobs, climbing health insurance premiums, shrinking health care choices, and swelling political corruption.”
HB 943 prohibits all state agencies, departments and political subdivisions from using state resources to advocate for the expansion of Medicaid. The bill also prohibits a state-run insurance exchange, state acceptance of federal grant money for a state insurance exchange, and the continuation of the University of Georgia’s Health Navigator Program.
“The Georgia Healthcare Freedom Act is only the initial step in a longer journey to defend Georgia from the health insurance decrees of Obamacare in their entirety,” added Rep. Spencer. “After some interim legislative measures, I am ultimately aiming at nothing less than a renewed challenge in the Supreme Court to the constitutionality of the unprecedented federal overreach into traditional state affairs based on new facts and legal theories. We are convinced that we will gain the necessary support for more initiatives in the coming legislative session that will continue to protect state resources from federal overreach.”
For more information on HB 943, please click here.
Representative Jason Spencer represents the citizens of District 180, which includes Camden, Charlton, and Ware counties. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2010, and currently serves as the Secretary of the Special Rules Committee. He also serves on the Game Fish & Parks, Human Relations & Aging, and Juvenile Justice committees.
# # #