Barr Introduces the Live by the Laws You Write Act

Legislation Will Close the Obamacare Loophole Exempting Certain Congressional Staff

May 16, 2013

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Andy Barr (KY) today introduced H.R. 2010, the Live by the Laws You Write Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives.  This simple, two-page legislation aims to close Obamacare’s congressional loophole and ensure that Congress and its staff are not exempt from the laws that it writes.

“While full repeal of Obamacare remains the only solution for this flawed law, we can at least make sure that Congress lives by the laws it writes,” said Congressman Andy Barr.  “It is wrong for the people who wrote Obamacare to have exempted themselves, so today we are fixing that to ensure that there is no special treatment for the people who wrote this legislation.”

Barr was joined by original co-sponsors Congressman John Fleming, M.D. (LA) and Congressman Joe Wilson (SC) as well as eleven other cosponsors.

“When Obamacare was being rammed through the House of Representatives, I called on Congress to agree that we would all live under the same kind of health care that was being imposed on the American people,” said Congressman John Fleming, M.D..  “Somehow exemptions for a select few in Congress were tucked in the bill. Until we are able to exempt every American from Obamacare by repealing it, no one in Congress should be allowed to escape its onerous burdens.”

“Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi was absolutely correct when she told the American people that they would find out exactly what was in Obamacare after it became law,” said Congressman Joe Wilson.  “Unfortunately, we now know that leadership and committee staff were carefully exempted out of it.  Political games such as these are a disservice to the Body we proudly serve. If the American people will be forced to suffer under Obamacare, the individuals responsible for writing the legislation must abide by it as well.”

The Live by the Laws You Write Act would amend the definition of “congressional staff” in Section 1312 of the Affordable Care Act to make sure that it does not continue to exempt committee staff and leadership staff in the House and Senate. 

Congressman Barr invites constituents to become “Citizen Cosponsors” of the Live by the Laws You Write Act at www.Barr.house.gov/NoSpecialTreatment.

A PDF of the H.R. 2010, the Live by the Laws You Write Act can be seen here.