Charlie Zimmerman | Support HB1549

Once a court has issued an injunction, the proper remedies are appeal or compliance. Passing legislation designed to circumvent a court order raises serious separation-of-powers concerns. The state cannot escape federal obligations or contractual commitments by passing new legislation after the fact. Doing so exposes taxpayers to liability rather than eliminating it. Reducing penalties to a nominal level in order to defeat enforcement is not compliance with the law. It is an attempt to avoid it. If the legislature can deliberately weaken enforcement of a law it is legally bound to uphold, then no statute, contract, or court order in this state is secure. That precedent should concern every citizen, regardless of political affiliation.