Texas Legislature Wants To Reward Companies That Deny Employees Contraception

[onestepforward]

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/01/28/1504661/hobby-lobby-texas-obamacare/?mobile=nc

A bill recently introduced in the Texas state house aims to reward employers who violate Obamacare, offering subsidies to any company that uses religious objection as an excuse for denying its employees copay-free contraception.

House Bill 649, introduced by state Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R), was apparently inspired by the controversy over craft chain store Hobby Lobby. That store sued to deny its employees contraception coverage, citing its male president’s religious objections. But since Hobby Lobby, and companies like it, will be forced to pay a fine for violating the law, Strickland wants to compensate them with tax breaks.

-snip-
By offering to help compensate these companies, Strickland is accepting a drastic cut in funding to the Texas government. His plan proposes letting organizations like Hobby Lobby off the hook for state taxes up to the amount they owe in federal penalties. Since Hobby Lobby is estimated to owe a fine of $1.3 million a day (more, in a year, than it would be paying in state taxes), Hobby Lobby would get a pass on giving a single cent to the state of Texas.

Our only hope, once again. The courts:

But more importantly, it’s unlikely that this bill would survive if it went to the courts. Federal law does not simply supersede conflicting state law, it also invalidates state laws that “stand… as an obstacle to the accomplishment and execution of the full purposes and objectives of Congress” — a doctrine known as “obstacle preemption.” Since the entire point of this Texas bill is to thwart a federal law, it would likely run afoul of this obstacle preemption.

I'm so sick of this crap.

[Freddie]

1. Warms my heart that all these folks are in favor of maternal/child death and complications

The reason for the contraception requirement of the ACA and why it is considered preventive care (no co-pay) is to allow a woman to space her pregnancies in a healthy way, since doctors now recommend that she wait at least 2 years between pregnancies. A practical matter since most married couples are not interested in celibacy to achieve this goal.
Pro-life? More like pro-death.

[NoPasaran]

2. Lots of idiotic bills get introduced every session

Our real hope should be that this bill doesn't become law, not that the courts will bail us out.

[hobbit709]

3. Half the Lege would reward companies for denying employees ANY benefits or compensation.

There's some idiots in the Capitol that make Goodhair look like an altruistic rocket scientist.

[LeftInTX]

4. More corporate welfare at work.