Ky lawmakers bypass Conway, join lawsuit against 'Obamacare'

Fifty-nine Kentucky lawmakers have signed an Amicus Brief in support of the 27 states suing the federal government over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).Kentucky House Minority Leader Rep. Jeff Hoover, R-Jamestown, was one of only a very few members of his party who did not join the lawsuit, which specifically contests the Individual Mandate provisions of the federal health-care policy.

State Rep. Tim Moore, R-Elizabethtown, who coordinated the effort in the commonwealth, released a statement announcing the move while criticizing Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway for refusing to "join the growing chorus of states bringing suit before the Supreme Court to contest the Constitutionality of the sweeping and unprecedented legislation known as 'Obamacare.'"

The Cato Institute sponsored this brief for legislators across the nation from states that have not joined the lawsuit known as Department of Health and Human Services, et al., vs. States of Florida, et al. The State Policy Network, of which the Bluegrass Institute is a member, helped facilitate the project.

So far, 332 legislators (Republicans, Democrats and Independents) nationwide have signed on. Here's some more from the statement:

"The Senators and Representatives who joined this Amicus Brief are glad to stand with Republican, Democratic, and Independent legislators from states all across the Union against this encroachment upon individual freedoms and states’ sovereignty. While these Kentucky legislators remain committed to promoting the public welfare and the health of all of our citizens, we will not countenance the usurpation of Constitutional authority or the flaunting of Constitutional limits on Government power."

America remains free because our Founders recognized the proper limits of Government authority. They established clear boundaries by specifically enumerating the powers entrusted to Government. The United States Constitution is the document every legislator—state and federal—swears an oath to uphold."

We'll have more on this as developments occur.