Washington, DC – Today, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) made the following statement after the Committee reported out legislation to repeal the ObamaCare 30-hour rule and legislation to protect volunteer firefighters and emergency responders from the burdens of the employer mandate.

“ObamaCare is putting full-time work and the opportunity to earn more wages out of the reach of millions of Americans.  Small businesses, restaurants, school districts and community colleges all across the country are already cutting hours to comply with Democrats’ employer mandate.  Those devastating economic effects are real and they are happening today.  Today’s vote ensures that hardworking Americans have the opportunity to work more hours, earn a bigger paycheck or find full-time employment.  I commend Congressman Todd Young for his hard work on this bill.  
 
“The need for reversing the 30-hour rule has long been clear.  Just today, the Congressional Budget Office confirmed the anecdotal evidence and announced that ObamaCare will eliminate about 2.5 million Americans from the workforce – more than three times their original estimate.  This law is hurting Americans’ ability to find a job and earn a good paycheck, making it harder for Americans to afford their homes, pay tuition, or simply have enough money for groceries.  Repealing the 30-hour rule is a necessary step to get Americans working again, and the two parties must come together to ensure that we remove this barrier to job growth and wage increases.

“We also took action today to ensure that volunteer firefighters and first responders will have the certainty and peace of mind that they will not have to bear the cost and burdens of this law.  These are commonsense bills and I look forward to moving these bills through the House so they can be considered by the Senate.”

H.R. 2575, the “Save American Workers Act” was favorably reported with a vote of 23-14.  No Democrats voted to protect Americans from having their hours and wages cut as a result of ObamaCare.
 
H.R. 3979, the “Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act” was favorably reported 37-0. 

###