Bills would criminalize enforcement of Affordable Care Act in Oklahoma
BY World's Editorials Writers
Friday, February 01, 2013
2/01/13 at 6:57 AM
Look out, G-men.
Two Republican lawmakers from Broken Arrow, Sen. Nathan Dahm and Rep. Mike Ritze, have introduced bills that would not only nullify the federal Affordable Care Act in Oklahoma but would make it a felony crime, with a prison sentence of up to five years, for any federal official to attempt to enforce it.
A bunch of other lawmakers have filed bills seeking to nullify Obamacare in Oklahoma but Dahm's and Ritze's proposals take the idea that extra step from ridiculous to downright embarrassing.
Of course Oklahoma voters last year overwhelmingly approved a state constitutional amendment to prevent enforcement of the federal law in Oklahoma and that is a key part of a lawsuit that state Attorney General Scott Pruitt is pressing in federal court.
We thought that the question of whether state law trumps federal law was decided at Appomattox Court House Village, Va., back in 1865. Decided but apparently not put to rest, at least as far as Oklahoma's worthies are concerned.
Whether or not the Dahm and Ritze bills see the light of day in their respective chambers will say a lot about the legislative leadership, especially that of new House Speaker T.W. Shannon. The bills deserve to die quiet deaths in committee.
Original Print Headline: Felony feds?
