TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - <\/p>\n
The first meeting of a Senate select committee on the federal Affordable Care Act turned raucous Monday, with a group of speakers saying the state should not carry out the law --- and jeering Senate Minority Leader Chris Smith after he defended the role of the federal government. <\/p>\n
Members of the group, including \"tea-party\" activists, said the law known as \"Obamacare\" is an unconstitutional overreach by Washington. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld most of the law in June, which has led to state lawmakers considering whether to carry out portions such as an expansion of Medicaid eligibility and creation of a health-insurance exchange. <\/p>\n
KrisAnne Hall, a north Florida lawyer who was a chief spokeswoman for the group, described the federal law as a \"trainwreck.\" <\/p>\n
\"You have to stand now in defense of the constitution, in honor of your oath,'' she told members of the Senate Select Committee on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. <\/p>\n
But a short time later, Smith, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat, offered a different view of the federal government's role, saying, \"It's hard to sit here and be silent and listen to some of this.'' <\/p>\n
Smith said, for example, the federal government had to play a large role in the past on issues such as integrating schools. Also, he pointed to part of the U.S. Constitution that originally treated black people as less than white people for representation purposes. <\/p>\n
\"The federal government had to step in because our constitution is an imperfect document,'' Smith said, drawing boos from the health-law opponents. \"If it was perfect, you would not have amendments to it.\" <\/p>\n
Committee Chairman Joe Negron, R-Stuart, tried to stem the booing. <\/p>\n
\"I would ask everyone, show courteousness and decorum,'' Negron said. <\/p>\n
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Hearing on federal health care law turns raucous<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The first meeting of a Senate select committee on the federal Affordable Care Act turned raucous Monday, with a group of speakers saying the state should not carry out the law --- and jeering Senate Minority Leader Chris Smith after he defended the role of the federal government. Continue reading