Obamacare is burying businesses in red tape, and it’s hurting their employees’ bottom line. So today, the House will vote to protect the 40-hour workweek—and workers’ paychecks with it—when it takes up H.R. 30, the Save American Workers Act.

The Problem: Obamacare requires employers with over 50 full-time employees to offer them health insurance. And crucially, it defines “full time” as at least 30 hours a week. Because coverage is so expensive, many employers can’t afford to provide it.

So instead they are cutting workers’ hours. They’re keeping workers below the 30-hour threshold to avoid offering them insurance altogether. Meanwhile, community colleges are cutting their professors’ hours and, as a result, their class offerings, so people have fewer opportunities to learn new skills.

In short, families are trying to get ahead, and Obamacare is holding them back.

The Solution: H.R. 30 would re-define “full time” as at least 40 hours a week—the way most people do—so employers can let their employees work a full week without fear. This small change would be a big help to millions of entry-level workers.

By and large, the people most likely to lose hours because of Obamacare are young, entry-level workers, according to a study by the Hoover Institution. Most of them are between the ages of 19 and 34, and over half have only a high-school diploma or less. These are the very people who need that extra time on the job. H.R. 30 will allow them to get more experience and move up the ladder of opportunity. And once people begin to work more hours, they’ll see their paychecks grow.

In short, H.R. 30 will help young, entry-level workers get the experience they need. The bill is one more advance in the fight against Obamacare—and in building a healthy economy.

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