The Washington Times

Obamacare fallout: Oklahoma brings bill to fire smokers

A state lawmaker in Oklahoma, concerned about the costs of the President Obama’s health-care reform, has brought forth a bill to curb expenses: Fire cigarette smokers.

The bill is sponsored by state Sen. David Hold, a Republican. The bill is a counter to state law that prohibits employers from discriminating against smokers. The legislation, if approved, would give employers the right to lay off workers for the sole reason of smoking.

A big reason for his concern, Mr. Hold said, was the projected rise in health-care costs because of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

“There are the kinds of protections you’d think we have for race and gender, not smokers,” Mr. Hold told KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City. “Forcing employers to compensate or provide benefits to smokers at the exact same rates as they do their nonsmoking employees … [is] just not fair to employers.”

Oklahoma is a right-to-work state, and as such, employers are already free to dismiss employees for most reasons that don’t violate federal law.

© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

About the Author

Cheryl K. Chumley

Cheryl Chumley is a continuous news writer for The Washington Times. Previously, she was part of the start-up team for The Washington Times’ digital aggregation product, Times247. She’s also a 2008-2009 Robert Novak journalism fellow with The Phillips Foundation. She can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.

Latest Stories

Latest Blog Entries

Comments
blog comments powered by Disqus
You Might Also Like
  • Illegal immigrants easily step over a fallen barbed-wire fence between Mexico and the United States near the town of Sasabe, Mexico, in 2004. The number of apprehensions of illegal border-crossers is down while the number of deaths in the desert is high. (Associated Press)

    Non-deportation rate drops — to 99.2 percent

  • ** FILE ** Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

    Cuccinelli accepts Va. GOP gubernatorial nomination

  • Ousted IRS chief Steven Miller testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, May 17, 2013, before the House Ways and Means Committee hearing on the extra scrutiny the IRS gave Tea Party and other conservative groups that applied for tax-exempt status. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

    Treasury officials told of IRS probe in June 2012

      • Independent voices from the TWT Communities

        What in the World

        In a world that is increasingly complex, we need to seek greater awareness of the blending of cultures and America's changing role in a global community.

        The Business of Living

        Libertarian thought beyond politics, unrestrained by convention.

        Omkara World

        Empowering mind/body/spirit and health dialogue along with cutting-edge, conscious social, political, and world commentary with Adam Omkara. Join the Evolution!