A second hearing is set for Wednesday on a state House bill that would fine, imprison, or both, any federal or state employee who attempts to implement the new federal health-care law.
Rep. Bill Chumley, R-Spartanburg, is the author of H. 3101, which directs penalties against federal and state employees in South Carolina who attempt to implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known as “Obamacare.” Chumley wants to “nullify” the federal law that is scheduled be implemented in January 2014.
The Nerve earlier reported on the first hearing.
At that hearing more than one month ago, the House Judiciary Constitutional Laws Subcommittee ran out of time for public comment. The second hearing is set for 9 a.m. Wednesday in Room 110 of the Blatt Building on the State House grounds.
Under Chumley’s bill, federal employees would face a felony charge that would carry a $5,000 fine or five years in prison, or both. A state employee would face of a fine of $1,000 or two years in prison, or both, if convicted of a misdemeanor charge.
One of the people scheduled to testify Wednesday on the bill is Walter Williams, who is a nationally syndicated columnist and an economics professor at Fairfax, Va.-based George Mason University, and fills in as a guest host on Rush Limbaugh’s national radio talk show.
There is a second bill before the subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville and the House majority leader.
H. 3473, which is sponsored by Rep. Greg Delleney, R-Chester and the House Judiciary Committee chairman, would prevent any county, municipality or special district from establishing or participating in a health-care exchange.
Olson can be reached at (803) 254-4411 or curt@thenerve.org. Follow him on Twitter @thenerve_curt and @olson_curt. Follow The Nerve on Facebook and on Twitter @thenervesc.