13 Attorney Generals Sue Government Over Health Care Bill: List

States Against Federal Government On New Health Care Bill

Attorney generals from thirteen states launched a lawsuit against federal government shortly after the new health care bill was signed by President Obama on the premise that the new bill is "unconstitutional." The H.R. 3950 was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Sunday night. President Obama signed the historic $938 billion bill on Tuesday. Seven minutes after the bill was signed, thirteen attorney generals, of whom twelve are Republicans and one is a Democrat, said they would sue the government to stop the health care bill overhaul. Although it is unlikely that the bill will be reversed because of the lawsuit, the negative publicity might linger.

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The lawsuit has been filed electronically in Pensacola, Florida. The premise on which attorney generals base their argument is that nowhere in the United States Constitution it says that the government can enforce universal health coverage. The states assert that the bill is violating their sovereignty and imposes a financial burden. However, the proponents of the bill claim the Constitution allows federal laws to trump state laws.

Here is a list of the names of the attorney generals who are part of the lawsuit:

--Bill McCollum, Florida
--Henry McMaster, South Carolina
--Jon Bruning, Nebraska
--Greg Abbott, Texas
--Mike Cox, Michigan
--Mark Shurtleff, Utah
--Tom Corbett, Pennsylvania
--Troy King, Alabama
--Larry Long, South Dakota
--Lawrence Wasden, Idaho
--Rob McKenna, Washington
--John Suthers, Colorado
--James "Buddy" Caldwell, Louisiana

The state of Virginia is filing a separate lawsuit.