Tuesday, January 25, 2011
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A legislative committee has blocked an attempt to reject a key portion of the federal health care overhaul.
The House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee on Tuesday voted down a proposal by Republican Rep. David Meeks of Conway that would ban any law requiring Arkansans to buy health insurance.
Meeks says he’s surprised the measure didn’t get through the committee. He says he’s not sure what he’ll do next.
An assistant Attorney General and the state surgeon general spoke against the bill saying that it would all but guarantee that the state would be sued.
The proposal came up in the Arkansas Legislature less than a week after Republicans in Congress cast a largely symbolic vote to repeal the federal health care law.