New to the art form? This Wall Street Journal article will get you orientated. Also, for more information on how some of these titles mislead lawmakers and the citizenry, find some academic commentary from Brian Christopher Jones here: https://works.bepress.com/brian_jones/.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

The Hobby Lobby Bill

Democrats have challenged the Supreme Court's ruling in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., by introducing the Protect Women’s Health from Corporate Interference Act of 2014, or the Hobby Lobby Bill. In the House, Reps. Louise Slaughter (D., NY) and Diana DeGette (D., CO), co-chairwomen of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D., NY) filed the bill, and in the upper chamber, Senators Patty Murray (D., WA.), Mark Udall (D., CO) and Ben Cardin (D., MD) are pushing the measure. 

Senator Cardin's memo on the bill notes that it: 
Ensures that employers cannot interfere in their employee’s decisions about contraception and other health services through discrimination by:
• Banning employers from refusing to cover any health coverage – including contraceptive coverage -- guaranteed to their employees and dependents under federal law.
• Stating that all federal laws do not permit employers to refuse to comply with the ACA requirement, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
• Including the exemption from the contraceptive coverage requirement for houses of worship and the accommodation for religious non-profits.

A partial press release from the House members is located below the jump. 

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Slaughter, DeGette, Nadler Introduce Legislation in Response to Hobby Lobby Decision

Jul 9, 2014 Issues: Health Care
WASHINGTON – Today, Reps. Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY) and Diana DeGette (D-CO), co-Chairs of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), a veteran member of the House Judiciary Committee and one of the leaders in the fight for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) of 1993, will introduce legislation in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood v. Burwell. The Protect Women’s Health from Corporate Interference Act of 2014 would explicitly prohibit for-profit employers that maintain a group health plan for its employees from using religious beliefs to deny employees coverage of contraception or any other vital health service required by federal law. The bill exempts federally mandated health services from RFRA while keeping in place the existing exemption for religious employers (e.g., houses of worship) and accommodation of religious non-profits who do not wish to provide contraceptives. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Mark Udall (D-CO) are introducing companion legislation in the Senate.
“This bill will ensure that employee access to critical health services is not at the mercy of their bosses’ religious beliefs,” said Reps. Slaughter, DeGette, and Nadler. “Congress never intended to allow corporate employers to block employee access to critical preventive services like birth control. We hope that our colleagues will join us in acting quickly to correct the Supreme Court’s decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. Our bill simply protects employees’ rights to all federally mandated health services, including contraception. A woman’s private medical decisions should be between her, her doctor, and whomever else she wishes to consult – they should not be subject to approval by politicians, Supreme Court justices, or bosses.”

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