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Congressman Tom Reed supported firefighters as the House passed the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act.

"Our volunteer first responders sacrifice their time and much more to protect and care for their neighbors," Reed said. "We have a responsibility to protect them and their organizations from the consequences of Obamacare."
 
The legislation passed by the House protects volunteer departments by exempting emergency service volunteers from being counted as full-time employees under Obamacare's employer mandate.
 
Reed also supported legislation which advances the approval process of the Keystone Pipeline. The Keystone XL Pipeline Act passed the House of Representatives this afternoon with a bipartisan vote of 266-153. The bill requires the Executive Branch to approve the pipeline.
 
"Passage of this bill is a win for all Americans," Reed, Co-Chair of the House Manufacturing Caucus, said. "The Keystone XL Pipeline not only creates countless infrastructure construction jobs, but it will also lower energy costs and put us another step closer to reducing our dependence on Middle East crude." In addition to creating jobs, lowering energy costs and increasing energy security, construction of the pipeline will contribute to the rebirth of domestic manufacturing.
 
"It's not fair that these jobs are held hostage to politics," Reed said. "I urge the Administration to show that it cares about economic development by building this pipeline."
 
Citing the many stories he has heard from constituents who earn hourly wages and have had their hours reduced because of Affordable Health Care Act rules, Tom Reed voted to protect full-time jobs and give families more financial security. The Save American Workers Act of 2015, which Reed co-sponsored, restores the traditional 40-hour work week that an Obamacare rule reduces to just 30 hours per week.  It passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 252-172.

"The President's health care law is taking hours away from employees and making their paychecks smaller," Reed said. "For the millions of Americans living paycheck to paycheck, any reduction in hours has a damaging effect."

The Affordable Health Care Act defines a full-time employee as working 30 hours per week, as opposed to the 40-hour week. As a result, employers are reducing workers' hours and employees are taking home smaller paychecks.

"This is about protecting jobs and paychecks," he said.

Reed highlighted a story from Carol, a Gowanda florist and small business owner.  She supports the Save American Workers Act because a 40-hour work week better reflects her business's "workforce needs while maintaining wages and flexible health benefits options" for her employees. Carol said the bill would give her flexibility to offer more generous coverage to full-time employees at a cost she can afford while ensuring that her employees have greater access to more affordable coverage options.

According to a Hoover Institution report, the Obamacare rule puts 2.6 million American workers making less than $30,000 a year at higher risk of having their hours and wages cut. Of those most affected, 63 percent are women and 60 percent are between the ages of 19 and 34. The House of Representatives passed the Save American Workers Act during the last Congress, but the Senate never considered the bill.

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