Second Regular Session
              Sixty-eighth General Assembly
                    STATE OF COLORADO
                                                 INTRODUCED
 
 LLS NO. M12-0851.01 Rebecca Hausmann x2172        SM12-003
                   SENATE SPONSORSHIP
 Neville, Renfroe, Lundberg, Brophy, Cadman, Grantham, Harvey, King K., King S.,
 Lambert, Mitchell, Roberts, Scheffel
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Senate Committees
 
 
 
 State, Veterans & Military Affairs
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                      SENATE MEMORIAL 12-003 
       Concerning memorializing Congress to enact the "Respect
            for Rights of Conscience Act of 2011", and, in
            connection therewith, urging the President of the
            United States to provide an effective and
            comprehensive religious conscience exemption from a
            requirement to cover services that are contrary to
            the religious beliefs and practices of certain faiths.
       
       
            WHEREAS, Recent rules issued by the Department of Health and
       Human Services (DHHS) place religious employers in the position of
       violating their religious beliefs by forcing all health insurers and
       employers to cover specific services that could violate employers'
       religious freedoms; and
       
            WHEREAS, While the recent ruling exempts some religious
       organizations, the exemption now requires all health insurers, even those
       who insure religious organizations, to cover services that are contrary to
       the religious beliefs and practices of certain faiths; and
       
            WHEREAS, Under this rule, religious leaders and organizations,
       including hospitals, universities, and service organizations, are mandated
       by federal law to comply with a regulation that violates their religious
       freedoms while also paying a cost, by offering certain coverage without
       deductibles or co-pays in their employees' health insurance; and
       
            WHEREAS, This overreaching policy is an attack on religion and
       the First Amendment rights of individuals and organizations to operate
       according to their consciences; and
       
            WHEREAS, The passage of the "Respect for Rights of Conscience
       Act of 2011" (H.R.1179 and S.1467) would permit a health plan to
       decline coverage of specific items and services that are contrary to the
       religious beliefs of the sponsor, issuer, or other entity offering the plan or
       the purchaser or beneficiary (in the case of individual coverage) without
       penalty; and
       
            WHEREAS, On Friday, February 12, 2012, in light of growing
       national opposition to the DHHS mandate, President Obama announced
       an "accommodation" to redirect responsibility for objectionable services
       from the employer to the employer's insurance carrier; however, the
       "accommodation" did nothing to alleviate the attack on religious freedom
       of all Americans, as faith-based employers will still be mandated to
       provide objectionable services that insurers will be forced to add to health
       benefit plans; now, therefore,
       
            Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-eighth General Assembly
       of the State of Colorado:
       
            (1)  That we memorialize Congress to enact the "Respect for
       Rights of Conscience Act of 2011" and to urge the President of the
       United States to protect Americans' religious liberty by providing an
       effective and comprehensive religious conscience exemption from DHHS
       regulations that violate religious liberties by requiring employers to
       directly or indirectly cover services that may be contrary to religious
       beliefs and practices; and
       
            (2)  That we memorialize Congress and the President to consider,
       defend, and honor the Bill of Rights-guaranteed religious liberties upon
       which this country was founded, in such a way that Americans are not
       forced to make a choice between their deeply held faith and compliance
       with federal law.
       
            Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Memorial be
       transmitted to Office of the President of the United States, the President
       of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of
       Representatives, the members of the Colorado congressional delegation,
       the members of the United States House Subcommittee on Health in the
       Energy and Commerce Committee, and the members of the United States
       Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.