Health Care Amendment Stalled In Legislature

Two bills were introduced into the Legislature back in February, both of which are constitutional amendments to prohibit any program that mandates we buy insurance or won't let us purchase private health insurance. The House bill, HB498, is stalled in the House Health Committee. The Senate Bill (SB233) passed out of the Senate Health committee with a favorable recommendation, but has not yet been scheduled for a third reading and a vote.

There is some conjecture that the Senate majority may be trying to perpetrate a trick that makes it LOOK like they support the bill when they really don't. You see, if a bill is passed in the Senate after a certain point (I believe that point is the 26th day of the session), then it requires a unanimous vote to send it to the House. So the conjecture is that they plan to hold the bill until that point, pass it, and have a "safe" Senator object. That kills the bill.

It's time to put some pressure on the Senate to put the bill up for a vote. SB233 has already passed the Senate Health committee with a pass recommendation, and it has been languishing since February 2nd. Urge them to let the bill come to a vote.

The person who puts bills on the Senate calendar is Senator Lowell Barron. Contact information, readily available on his legislative web page, is below:


State House:
Room 729-B
11 S. Union Street
Montgomery, AL 36130
(334) 242-7858

Business:
P.O. Box 65
Fyffe, AL 35971
(256) 623-2298

Home: P.O. Box 65
Fyffe, AL 35971
(256) 623-2811

You also might want to contact Speaker of the House Seth Hammet and your local legislator. The House switchboard number is 334-353-1046.

UPDATE: It seems that SB233 went into and out of the Rules Committee today. It can now be placed on the calendar... if the Democrats in charge choose to do so. Call them now.