| Surprise and a belated happy birthday to "Obama Care"! Apparently health care reform isn't as unpopular as we're led to believe, even in Alabama. Even with a 65 to 39 majority in the Alabama House of Representatives, HB60, the Republican constitutional amendment to opt-out of the Affordable Health Care Act did not muster the 63 votes it needed to pass today, failing on a 59-28 vote -- 60 to 28 if you believe Howard Sanderford actually intended to vote yes. For those familiar with ALISON, the vote is Roll Call 76. Here are the basics: - 2 Democrats voted for the opt-out. They were Elaine Beech of HD65 and Richard Laird of HD37.
- 9 Democrats voted "Pass*." They were Barry Forte (HD84), Dexter Grimsley (HD85), Laura Hall (HD21), Alan Harper (HD61), Joe Hubbard (HD73), John Knight (HD77), Johnny M. Morrow (HD18), Charles Newton (HD90) and Demetrius Newton (HD53).
* Pass means "not present" or "not voting."
- 8 Republicans voted "Pass." They were Daniel Boman (HD16), Owen Drake (HD45), Todd Greeson (HD24), Arthur Payne (HD44), Bill Roberts (HD13), Howard Sanderford** (HD20), Elwyn Thomas (HD34) and Lesley Vance (HD80).
**Sanderford had machine problems and may have intended to vote "Yes." - Zero Republicans voted "No."
Meanwhile, the American Constitution Society's blog posts Why the Health Care Law's Individual Mandate Matters, and Why It's Constitutional. Gutting the individual mandate is the crux of HB60. |
