In the 2009 session of the Oregon legislature, the Democratic majority passed a health insurance premium tax that costs $94.8 million in state revenue and generates $191 million in matching federal funds to provide health insurance for Oregon's 80,000 uninsured children.
One House Republican made the repeal of this tax a priority in the current special session.
See how he fared below the fold...
The Republican champion on this bill is a first-term legislator, Jim Weidner. Northwest political commentator, Randy Stapilus of Ridenbaugh Press provides some context...
This session it’s been targeted in House Bill 3603, a simple repeal, prime-sponsored by Representative Jim Weidner, R-Yamhill, and co-sponsored by a dozen other Republican House members. It has virtually no chance of passage, but it was granted a hearing before the House Health Care Committee. And there, Chairman Mitch Greenlick, D-Beaverton, asked Weidner the question about the bill: Are you okay with kicking 80,000 Oregon children off health insurance?
Weidner’s inartful, sheepishly grinning dodge to that question – repeated several times (mercilessly) – has almost to be seen (see the clip above) to believed. Of course, the only honest answer, short of coming up with another way to fund the insurance, would have been: "Sure, kick em off. Opposition to taxes is more important than the lives or health of thousands of children . . ."
There may be a reason that it was a first-term legislator who got stuck as the prime sponsor of this bill.
Jeff Mapes at the Oregonian picks up the thread...
Weidner is chief sponsor of the repeal measure, House Bill 3603, and he was unprepared for Greenlick's obvious question: "Are you willing to do away with that 1 percent tax (on premiums) and not enroll 80,000 kids who do not have health insurance?"
To me this picks up on a meme that is rarely captured as effectively as in this clip. Many politicians favor services, or will not oppose them when directly questioned, but refuse to support the funding.
This isn't the first time Weidner has been criticized for supporting program but opposing its funding mechanism. He recently voted against a transportation bill that brought more than $200 million in funding for badly needed roads in the district, saying that he supported the project but opposed funding for it.
Weidner is one of four Republican legislators in Oregon to sign Freedomworks "no-tax pledge"