Rep. Peters’ Statement on HR 2575

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) released the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 2575, the “Save American Workers Act,” which passed the House 248-179:

“Today’s legislation is another example of partisan politics masquerading as a fix for a very serious issue with the Affordable Care Act. It’s telling that the House Republican Majority brought up this bill now, because President Obama has already delayed the business health care mandate until 2016, making the 30-hour work week a non-issue for businesses in the short run. However, that does not prevent it from being a political issue.

“The Affordable Care Act, passed before I entered Congress, is a massively ambitious effort to remake healthcare in America. Its implementation will take good-faith cooperation from Republicans and Democrats, and will need to consider more than just politics. For over a year, I’ve heard from businesses across San Diego that the 30-hour week requirement is confusing and creates disincentives to hiring new workers. I share that concern, and supported today’s proposed change. Nearly 80 percent of businesses in San Diego are small businesses. While there is absolutely no chance that today’s bill will become law and provide the relief it promises, it was important for me to stand up for these entrepreneurs who’ve sacrificed in order to invest in their businesses and who together account for 99% of California’s employers and employ 52% of our workers.

“To really fix the ACA, we need to address all of the issues it raises. In addition to dealing with the 30-hour week, we need to ensure that Taft-Hartley multi-employer plans, which have successfully covered workers for decades, continue to be viable and available. We need to repeal the Medical Device Tax and repeal or modify the excise tax on “Cadillac” plans that comes into effect in 2018, which will do more harm than good. And we need to continue to support increased competition in the marketplace to ensure that plans will be affordable.

“For us to help families, workers, and businesses both large and small, Republicans and Democrats have to work together to put all issues on the table. Unfortunately, today’s legislation is unlikely to be acted on by the Senate because House Republicans did not make any effort to make this a truly bipartisan fix. I am hopeful that we can find bipartisan solutions to fix the ACA which, while working for millions of Americans, will need our support as it is implemented.”

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