Rep. Kelly Applauds Committee Passage of Bills to Protect American Workers & Volunteer Firefighters

Ways & Means Committee approves legislation co-sponsored by Rep. Kelly to roll back Obamacare’s employer mandate

WASHINGTON — Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) – a member of the House Ways and Means Committee – issued the following statement today in praise of the committee’s favorable mark-up of two pieces of legislation: H.R. 2575, the Save American Workers Act, and H.R. 3979, the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act. Rep. Kelly is an original co-sponsor of both bills.

“Obamacare’s employer mandate directly threatens the jobs and livelihoods of millions of Americans. Today’s bills are a step in the right direction to relieve workers, businesses, and communities of the damage caused by the mandate and to give employers the freedom and flexibility to create more full-time jobs.

“I am very proud to be an original co-sponsor of both the Save American Workers Act and the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act — and I am ecstatic that they were both approved by my colleagues on the Ways & Means Committee this morning.

“The Save American Workers Act will repeal the employer mandate’s extremely harmful 30-hour work week rule that is killing jobs and wages for millions of hardworking men and women throughout our country. It is a commonsense, urgently necessary measure that all leaders should support.

“The Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act will exempt thousands of firefighters and emergency rescue personnel from the employer mandate, which is needlessly putting communities across America at risk due to its hazardous impact on those who heroically come to our rescue when danger strikes. This is an especially big deal for Pennsylvania, which is blessed to have the most volunteer fire departments in the nation.

“The president is fond of describing his ‘pen and phone’ when it comes making 2014 a ‘year of action.’ Here is his chance to use both. If President Obama is truly serious about helping Americans facing tough times and protecting jobs, then he will call his colleagues in Congress and encourage them to support today’s crucial bills and then pledge to sign them into law when they get to his desk.”

NOTE: According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is projected to cut the number of full-time workers by roughly 2.3 million people through 2021 and insure two million fewer people this year than previously estimated. Read more here.

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