FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 2, 2010
CONTACT: Charles Monaco, Progressive States Network, 212 680 3116 x115,
cmonaco@progressivestates.org [1]
STATE LEGISLATORS TO FILE AMICUS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF HEALTH CARE LAW IN VIRGINIA
Legislators working with Progressive States Network and Constitutional Accountability Center announce they will support government against lawsuit seeking to nullify health care law
New York, NY – Today, a group of state legislators working with Progressive States Network and the Constitutional Accountability Center announced their intent to file an Amicus Brief in support of the federal government in the lawsuit being brought by Virginia's Attorney General to nullify the new health care law. Earlier in the day, a federal district court judge in Virginia issued a procedural ruling allowing the lawsuit to move forward.
"Over 1,000 state legislators from all 50 states led the fight for the new health care law enacted earlier this year, and as leaders in their communities now fighting for its effective implementation on the ground, they are prepared to strongly support the federal government in this frivolous lawsuit," said Nathan Newman, Executive Director of Progressive States Network. "Despite today's procedural ruling, analysts across the ideological spectrum have agreed that the lawsuit has no constitutional merit."
"While right wing Attorneys General claim to have the support of the public in their efforts to nullify the reforms enacted under the health care law, the evidence in recent polls is clear: people overwhelmingly support the provisions of the law and oppose efforts to repeal things like the ban on denial of coverage for prexisting conditions, tax credits for small businesses, the closing of the Medicare donut hole, and the addition of children up to age 26 to their parent's health care policies."
Progressive States Network is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the work of progressive state legislators around the country and to the passage of state legislation that delivers on issues the issues that matter to working families: strong wage standards and workplace freedom, balancing work and family responsibilities, health care for all, smart growth and clean energy, tax and budget reform, clean and fair elections, and technology investments to bridge the digital divide.