Author Archive | Mary Pilcher-Cook

Kansas Health Care Freedom Amendment website launched!

By Mary Pilcher-Cook on March 17, 2010 in Health Care, State Sovereignty

A new web site has been created to educate Kansans about the proposed Kansas Health Care Freedom Amendment. This Constitutional Amendment would preserve certain existing rights regarding health care. Aside from reading the amendment and learning more about its intent, you can also sign an online petition supporting the effort.

The purpose of the Amendment is to protect Kansas citizens from being forced into a health care system they do not choose. It is not an attempt to block federal health care reform, as long as federal law does not require an individual mandate or forbid patients from paying directly for their medical services.

On the website, see all the organizations supporting the Kansas Health Care Freedom Amendment.

Sign the online petition today! You can also download a copy of the petition to distribute to your friends and neighbors at www.kansashealthcarefreedom.com.

Co-Sponsors Needed for Kansas Health Care Freedom

By Mary Pilcher-Cook on January 28, 2010 in Health Care, State Sovereignty

Thank you to for your support of the tenth amendment resolution. Now it’s time to put our state sovereignty into action.

The latest news on the federal level is there will be an attempt to force a health care bill through a process known as “reconciliation.”

In Kansas, we need to quickly act to introduce a Health Care Freedom Amendment. It will be much more than sending a message. If passed, it will be an amendment to the Kansas Constitution, acting to preserve the freedom of Kansans to provide for their health care without government coercion.

This is reason to take courage! We can make a difference.

You can read the entire proposed amendment here.

I have also appended the essence of the concurrent resolution below.

I am currently asking other Kansas State Senators to co-sponsor the concurrent resolution now. I must have their signature by Friday so they can show they support the bill before it gets introduced.

Once introduced, we will receive a number for the Health Care Freedom Amendment and you will be able to access it through the Kansas Legislature’s website (www.kslegislature.com).

We should work to get at least 27 co-sponsors, because that’s how many votes are needed to pass the bill. A proposed constitutional amendment requires two-thirds vote of each House to pass before it can be placed on the ballot for a vote of the people. So far we have 14 signatures.

Even if your senator has already given their signature, they need to hear from you so they know you support the amendment. Ask them if they would help co-sponsor the Health Care Freedom Amendment.

State Rep. Peggy Mast is working to get signatures on the House side, so please contact your Kansas State Representative as well and ask them to co-sponsor the proposed legislation.

The Senate and House Health Committees are planning on having a joint hearing on the Health Care Freedom Amendment on Tuesday, Feb. 9, and the time is yet unknown, but will likely be around 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Hearings are held so citizens and lobbyists have the opportunity to testify, but first we need to get the signatures from the State Senators and the State Representatives.

Thank you for your help!

Kansas State Sovereignty: Senate Judiciary Hearing Success!

By Mary Pilcher-Cook on January 18, 2010 in Sovereignty Movement, State Sovereignty

There were well over 200 people who attended the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to support state sovereignty last week.

What a wonderful endorsement of our Tenth Amendment and what an exciting day!

All of the proponents offered outstanding testimony, and they were a great source of pride and encouragement to everyone attending.

There were 16 proponents, one neutral and one opponent who testified. Chairman Owens decided to give the proponent conferees two minutes each, while giving the neutral and opponent conferees ten minutes each. The Chairman expressed he wanted to give more time to those with different views because there were so few of them.

Even during the opposition’s testimony, everyone maintained a professional attitude (until the very end), and I am greatly appreciative of the civility and respect given to others. That can be very difficult when the principles we hold so precious are disparaged.

Later, I didn’t get to one of the events, but the rally at the Dillon House was very moving and inspirational with some terrific speeches by some very impressive speakers, including Congressman Todd Tiahrt. I was honored to be with such a group.

This is reason to take courage! We are making a difference.

The next step — the resolution will be “worked” in committee.

Chairman Owens may or may not announce the date when this will occur. When the bill is “worked,” the committee members debate the resolution, and they could add amendments or make other modifications to the language. At the end of debate, members usually vote for or against the measure. If it receives a majority vote, it advances to General Orders. Then Majority Leader Derek Schmidt, at his discretion, schedules it for Senate floor debate.

Thank you to everyone who came to show their support, and thank you also to those who couldn’t come and prayed for us.

God bless you and God bless Kansas!

State Sovereignty: Health Care Freedom Rally

By Mary Pilcher-Cook on November 10, 2009 in Health Care, Sovereignty Movement

This past Saturday morning, many Kansas citizens came from Pittsburg, Salina, Topeka, Lawrence — and all throughout Johnson County, to Shawnee City Hall to take a stand for their health care freedom. You can click on this link to see Fox 4 News which gave the best coverage.

The headline, “Kansas Health Care Rally Turns Ugly,” is a bit over the top, and it doesn’t show that we outnumbered the opposition 3 to 1, but it does give both sides of the debate.

The Kansas Health Care Freedom Amendment advances Kansas state sovereignty. This legislation is not about “opting-out” or “exempting” Kansas, because by default, based on our state sovereignty, we already are exempt from federal health care mandates and the funding of those mandates.

It’s not that we are seeking an exemption, it’s that we are standing on our sovereignty – in other words, acting in such a way that exerts our rights under the U.S. Constitution. It’s a message sent by the citizens of Kansas that the federal government has no right to tread on them and their health care freedom.

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Author Archive | Mary Pilcher-Cook