An increasingly important role for the states is to serve as a bulwark against federal overreach and encroachment. Taking that role seriously is State Rep. Jonathan Stickland, who has authored legislation giving state tax credits to businesses fined under the egregious provisions of ObamaCare.
Businesses refusing to provide coverage for abortion and contraception services face stiff penalties and fines under ObamaCare. One Texas-based retail chain, Hobby Lobby, is looking at $1.3 million per day in ObamaCare fines!
HB 649, filed on Thursday, steps in to protect the faith-based decisions made by business owners.
Mr. Stickland says that his legislation would “exempt Hobby Lobby and other religiously based businesses from all taxes levied by the state if they are forced to pay punitive fines related to the ObamaCare contraception mandate.”
Regardless of one’s views on contraceptives, and even abortion, the federal government should not force business owners to violate their deeply-held beliefs.
Texas should be in the business of protecting business from the one-size-fits-all, liberal agenda of Barack Obama. And fortunately, we have right-thinking lawmakers like Mr. Stickland looking for creative ways to do it.
