On the recordApril 3, 2014
I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I would like to commend the gentleman from Indiana, Congressman Young, for introducing this important legislation and Chairman Camp for making it a top priority. We have heard from employees and employers alike about the negative consequences of the employer mandate penalty. More specifically, we have heard firsthand that defining a full-time employee as one who works no more than 30 hours per week hurts the ability of employers to hire workers and grow their businesses, and it hurts the efforts of low-wage workers trying to enter the middle class. Even though the President has unilaterally delayed the employer mandate twice, employers are already reacting to the employer mandate by reducing their employee hours. I spoke with one business owner in my district this week who told me that although he will not reduce the hours of current employees, he has not hired a single employee for more than 30 hours of work per week in over a year. Additionally, he told me that the number of his employees working 40 hours per week has naturally declined by 25 percent and that he will continue to replace these full-time employees with part-time employees. It is also concerning that the employer mandate penalty is disproportionately affecting Americans who can least afford it--women, young people, and low-wage earners.…
