Post by Logan on May 9, 2016 8:40:27 GMT -6
JUNEAU — The Alaska House has given notice that it plans to keep fighting Gov. Bill Walker’s authority to expand Medicaid on his own, drawing criticism from minority Democrats who oppose continuing the legal battle.
Lawmakers faced a deadline for whether to appeal a judge’s decision dismissing a lawsuit initially filed last summer by the Legislative Council, which is made up of House and Senate members. Attorneys representing the council filed a notice of appeal on behalf of the House on Thursday and said they planned to seek an order substituting the House for the Legislative Council in the litigation.
Walker, in a statement Friday, called the developments disappointing given the magnitude of the issues the state is facing.
Critics contend that the appeal is not permissible because a vote of the House and Senate is needed while the Legislature is in session, according to the Legislature’s top attorney, Doug Gardner. In a memo outlining authority for deciding an appeal, Gardner wrote that if only one chamber passed a resolution or motion calling for an appeal, that chamber would have to substitute itself for the Legislature as the party of interest in the case.
Read more: juneauempire.com/state/2016-05-08/house-pursuing-appeal-medicaid-suit-decision
Lawmakers faced a deadline for whether to appeal a judge’s decision dismissing a lawsuit initially filed last summer by the Legislative Council, which is made up of House and Senate members. Attorneys representing the council filed a notice of appeal on behalf of the House on Thursday and said they planned to seek an order substituting the House for the Legislative Council in the litigation.
Walker, in a statement Friday, called the developments disappointing given the magnitude of the issues the state is facing.
Critics contend that the appeal is not permissible because a vote of the House and Senate is needed while the Legislature is in session, according to the Legislature’s top attorney, Doug Gardner. In a memo outlining authority for deciding an appeal, Gardner wrote that if only one chamber passed a resolution or motion calling for an appeal, that chamber would have to substitute itself for the Legislature as the party of interest in the case.
Read more: juneauempire.com/state/2016-05-08/house-pursuing-appeal-medicaid-suit-decision