House Passes Jobs/Regulatory Reform Bill
Earlier this month, Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee Dave Camp (R-MI) introduced H.R. 4, the Jobs for America Act. It passed the House three days later, on Sept. 18, by a vote of 253-163. The bill included several high-priority initiatives backed by TRSA. Highlights of the bill, which now moves on for consideration by the Senate, include:
A provision that changes the definition of a full-time employee under the 2010 Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) employer mandate to one who works 40 hours per week instead of 30. This provision is the same as that in the Save American Workers Act, or SAW Act, H.R. 2575, which the House passed 248-179 on April 3. This was a signature issue at TRSA’s 2014 Leadership/Legislative Conference. TRSA Members lobbied their home state lawmakers to pass the legislation, which happened shortly after our member visits.
- Repeal and elimination of the 2.3% tax on medical devices. The excise tax, established under the ACA, took effect in 2013. The bill’s repeal would be retroactive to sales after Dec. 31, 2012. TRSA members spoke with their congressional members regarding the medical device tax at TRSA’s 2013 Leadership/Legislative Conference.
- Provisions of H.R. 367, the Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act, or REINS Act. TRSA strongly supports the REINS Act, which passed the House on Aug. 2, 2013, by a vote of 232-183. Some congressmen believe that Congress has ceded too much authority to the administrative branch of the federal government. They want to return some of these powers to Congress. Under this bill, Congress would have to approve major rules, including those with an annual economic cost of $50 million or more, before they could take effect. Congress would have 70 session days to pass a joint resolution of approval. Otherwise, a major regulation would be rejected automatically. The procedure would allow a single chamber to block a regulation from taking effect.
Finally, in a similar vein to the REINS act, is the inclusion of H.R. 2804, a bill that that passed the House in February by a vote of 236-179. This section would amend federal rulemaking procedures so that federal regulations generally wouldn’t take effect unless detailed information about the agency rulemaking has been available for at least six months. Rulemaking agencies would have to evaluate the economic effects of proposed regulations on small businesses and other small entities, and the Small Business Administration (SBA) would be allowed to modify the definition of small businesses to expand the pool of entities eligible to participate in the SBA’s oversight of the rulemaking process.
TRSA supported H.R. 4. The bill contains several key issues that TRSA members have worked on for years, and it makes strong business sense.