WASHINGTON – The National Retail Federation today expressed strong support for the Save American Workers Act ahead of a vote set in the House this week. The bill would advance affordable health care benefits for retail employees by restoring the traditional 40-hour workweek standard under the Affordable Care Act and delay the so-called Cadillac Tax on the value of health plans by another year.
“Many of the concerns NRF expressed prior to enactment of the ACA have been demonstrated in the years since enactment, despite all our hard work with regulators to mitigate their impact,” NRF Senior Vice President for Government Relations David French said in a letter to members of the House. “Small businesses were faced with the tough choice of staying below the 50-full-time employee definition or becoming subject to the mandate. … For part-time employees, it meant 29 or fewer hours per week and less income.”
Although the Cadillac Tax was directed at the most expensive plans, French said the tax “threatens mainstream plans,” even with its current effective date in 2022.
“We believe that H.R. 3798 will provide needed relief from many of the ACA’s disparate burdens and advance more affordable health benefits for retail employees,” French said.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., also includes retroactive relief from the ACA’s employer mandate penalties, repeals the so-called Tanning tax and provides limited relief from some of the ACA’s well-documented and burdensome reporting issues.
NRF may consider votes on H.R. 3798 and related procedural motions as Opportunity Index Votes for its annual legislative scorecard.
About NRF
The National Retail Federation is the world’s largest retail trade association. Based in Washington, D.C., NRF represents discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. Retail is the nation’s largest private-sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs — 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy.