GOP Bill Would Require Birth Certificate From Presidential Candidates

A GOP lawmaker will introduce legislation in the coming weeks to require any candidate running for president to file a copy of his or her birth certificate with the Federal Election Commission.

“It’s the right thing to do and it’s long overdue,” Rep. Bill Posey (R-Fla.), the bill’s sponsor, wrote in an email to The Hill.

Posey insisted the legislation is not directed at President Obama, who has battled charges that he was not born in the U.S. and is ineligible to serve as president since before he entered the Oval Office.

“This legislation has never been about one candidate,” Posey wrote. “It’s been about addressing something that’s come up at least seven times before. With its passage, this won’t be a distraction for anyone in the future.”

Posey previously introduced the legislation in 2009, when Democrats held the House, but it could have a better chance of moving forward now that Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) is Speaker.

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