Saying Congress "may be overstepping its bounds" with its health care overhaul, Gov. Tim Pawlenty Monday asked Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson to "review the legal issues being raised by this unprecedented federal mandate."
Pawlenty asks MN Attorney General to look into health care overhaul (updated with AG response)
Republicans in the Minnesota House and Senate have tried to make similar requests through legislative action but have been turned back by DFL majorities in the Legislature.
By rachelsb
March 22, 2010 at 10:16PM
Republicans in the Minnesota House and Senate have tried to make similar requests through legislative action but have been turned back by DFL majorities in the Legislature.
Pawlenty, a possible 2012 presidential candidate, is a bit late to the legal fight. According to his letter, attorney generals in 12 states have already indicated "they plan to file lawsuits to block implementation of the federal health care reform legislation on constitutional grounds."
No one from Democratic Attorney General Swanson's office has yet commented on the request.
Update, response from the Attorney General's office:
The legislation in question still has to be signed by the President and reconciliation has yet to be passed by the Senate. The individual mandate does not go into effect until 2014. Our Office has not yet read and analyzed the 2,400 page bill that passed the House yesterday. The Attorney General's Office operates in the legal arena and we are not going to make any legal comments until we have had the opportunity to review the 2,400 page bill.
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