The Federal Health Care Reform legislation recently signed into law by President Obama forces uninsured individuals to purchase health insurance or face penalties imposed by the IRS.

The Florida House and Senate passed a measure intended to send a clear signal to Washington that Floridians reject intrusive health care mandates.

The measure proposes an amendment to the State Constitution prohibiting the government from interfering with an individual’s personal health care decisions.

Representative Plakon, sponsor of the measure, issued the following statement:

The government has never required citizens to purchase a product from a private for-profit company as a condition of lawful residence in the United States. As elected officials, it is our duty to protect citizens from Federal and State mandates that strip away the very freedoms our forefathers risked their lives for. With this vote, the Florida House has empowered the citizens of this great State to vote in November and make their voice heard on whether medical freedom is a fundamental right that must be protected in our State Constitution. I humbly thank all of the grassroots supporters and my House colleagues for looking beyond politics by pursuing public policy that ensures that we remain free souls under God and not property of the State.

Since the measure proposes an amendment to the State Constitution it will need to receive 60% of the vote to be ratified and made law.