Florida attorney general: Individual mandate discussed during health care summit is unconstitutional

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum today released  the following response to reports that during today’s Health Care Summit,  President Obama advocated for an individual mandate requiring every person  to be have health care coverage or otherwise pay a fee or tax:

“After conducting a legal review of the individual mandate, it is very  clear to me this mandate violates the U.S. Constitution because Congress  cannot penalize people for doing nothing at all. This is a tax on living,  and if the individual mandate is in the final bill signed by the  President, I will file a lawsuit on behalf of the citizens of Florida to  protect our Constitutional rights.”

The Attorney General previously stated in a legal memo submitted to  Congressional leadership that the U.S. Constitution establishes a limited  federal government that protects the freedom of individuals and the rights  of states, and the individual mandate in the health care legislation is  contrary to that Constitutional principle because it penalizes inactivity.

Related posts:

1. Florida, 12 other states fill constitutionality suit against health care bill
2. Florida attorney general joins 12 other states attorney generals in letter against health care bill
3. Attorney general prepares lawsuit while Obama, Klein extol historic health care bill passed by Congress
4. McCollum files amended lawsuit against health care bill
5. FIVE ADDITIONAL STATES JOIN LAWSUIT CHALLENGING HEALTH CARE REFORM LAW

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Posted by Andrea Freygang on Feb 27 2010. Filed under Broward County, Federal Government, Health, Local news, Tallahassee. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry