[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 27123]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              HEALTH CARE

  (Mr. COLE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, one of the impacts of the proposed health care 
legislation that has not received the attention it deserves is the huge 
unfunded mandate that it will place on our respective State 
governments.
  As every Member of this body knows, each State in America is 
struggling to balance its budget, often cutting services to the bone. I 
asked my own State legislative leaders how the State of Oklahoma would 
be impacted by Speaker Pelosi's health care bill. They reported that in 
Oklahoma this legislation will result in at least $128 million of 
additional annual cost to State government. That will require either 
draconian cuts to existing State services, such as education, 
transportation, and public safety, or substantial increases in State 
taxes.
  Mr. Speaker, the Democratic effort to mask the true cost of this 
legislation is a scandal. If passed, the Pelosi health care bill will 
bankrupt State governments, destroy jobs, and further cripple the 
economy.
  Our State governments can't afford this bill, and neither can the 
American taxpayer.

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