About 35 RLCers from around the state attended this week the 2010 Liberty Days at the Capitol, the RLC's annual grassroots lobbying trek to Tallahassee, in the midst of the national battle against ObamaCare.

Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp addresses RLCers

The timing was perfect. The RLC's first event was a hearing before the House Healthcare Regulation Policy Committee, in which Rep. Scott Plakon - sponsor of the Healthcare Freedom Act - made his case for protecting Floridians from the individual mandates included in the national bill. His bill (HJR 37) to do that passed the committee 10-3 amid cheers from the RLCers present.

Sen. Cary Baker with RLCer Victor Wilhelm; John Hallman (center) strategizes with RLCers

"It is our duty to step up and reassert the rights of Floridians, in this case protecting our citizen's rights and freedoms to make appropriate decisions as it relates to their own health care," said Plakon.

As noted by Richard Swier at redcounty.com, Rep. Plakon added historical context by pointing out that in 1787, Dr. Benjamin Rush, the first Surgeon General of the Continental Army, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, worked diligently to have the protection of "medical freedom" as a key addition to the U.S. Constitution. Dr. Rush warned that medicine could become "an undercover dictatorship and force people who wish doctors and treatment of their own choice to submit to only what the dictating outfit offers."

Rep. Scott Plakon and Sen. Cary Baker discuss the future of the Healthcare Freedom Act with RLCers after the successful House committee vote

After the committee hearing, RLCers met with Rep. Plakon and the Senate sponsor of the bill (SJR 72), Sen. Cary Baker, for some celebration and planning our next steps. After the meeting, RLCer and political consultant John Hallman led RLCers went from office to office pressing for support of the Healthcare Freedom Act, two other 10th Amendment bills, TABOR and protection of Florida's 8-year legislative term limits law.

In the late afternoon, Florida RLC chair Will Pitts and others met with new Republican Party of Florida chair, Sen. John Thrasher, to mend the rift between the RPOF and the RLC created by the disgraced former GOP chair Jim Greer. After a successful day for both our bills and our organization, RLCers spent the evening eating and drinking in downtown restaurants and bars, meeting and getting caught up with each other.

Florida RLC Chair Will Pitts introduces the RLC at a legislator's office

The next day, RLCers met with more legislators and aides, including Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp who met with both the RLCers as a group and privately with RLCFL Chair Will Pitts.

Several RLCers attended the press conference of Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum who announced his intention to be one of the nine or so state attorney generals to sue the federal government as soon as the ObamaCare bill was signed by the president.

"There are two basic principles here," McCollum said. "Number one that Congress has exceeded its powers in terms of its requiring the individual mandate that anybody has to buy a health care policy or suffer a penalty of some sort, a fine or a tax. And number two that it violates the 10th Amendment rights of the states in that it goes far beyond an unfunded mandate and literally would cost the State of Florida alone billions of dollars."

This is the primary message the RLC sought to voice in Tallahassee this year and it was gratifying to hear many of our Republican leaders join in the chorus.

(RLCers are encouraged to forward pictures from the event to accompany this article. Thanks!)