The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“PREEMPTION OF STATE PROTECTIONS IS A BAD IDEA” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H2972 on March 28, 1996.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
PREEMPTION OF STATE PROTECTIONS IS A BAD IDEA
(Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today the House Republicans will pass up a golden opportunity to advance realistic bipartisan health care reform when it considers H.R. 3103, instead of sponsoring and passing the Roukema-Kassebaum-Kennedy health reform bill that I cosponsored.
The bill which the House considers today will have disastrous consequences for consumers. Carefully crafted State insurance laws will be replaced by a uniform standard developed and implemented by the Department of Labor here in Washington. That is right. We are taking away States' ability to regulate and move it here to Washington. They want to move it to an agency that one of my Republican colleagues said was led by what he thought was a Communist.
What does this mean to the average American family? State statutes and rules requiring certain benefits be covered by health insurance policies may no longer apply. For instance, many States like Texas, where I am from, have statutes requiring the inclusion of newborn infant coverage in their State law. That will be wiped out if this bill passes today.
Under the Republican health plan, this may no longer apply. This is moving from State control to Washington control. That must have been in the fine print of the Contract With America.
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