ABC Dec. 22 opposed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) which contains an amendment proposed by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) that excludes construction firms from small business exemptions. The U.S. Senate Dec. 24 voted 60-39 to pass the bill.
H.R. 3590 generally exempts employers with fewer than 50 employees from fines levied on those who cannot afford to provide their employees with the federal minimum standard of health insurance. The Merkley amendment singles out the construction industry by altering the exemption so that only those firms with fewer than five employees will not have to pay the $750 per-employee fine.
“Excluding small construction firms from the small business exemptions in the health care bill is irresponsible and economically disastrous,” said ABC President and CEO Kirk Pickerel. “At a time when our industry is facing the worst construction economy in decades, the last thing contractors need are vast new mandates from the federal government dictating to them how they will run their businesses.”
The Senate bill now must be merged with a plan passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in November. For more information, contact Geoff Burr at ABC,
burr@abc.org.