news

This week marked the beginning of the 114^th Congress, and Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH) joined his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in passing three pieces of legislation that will proactively address issues with Obamacare and finally approve the Keystone XL Pipeline.

H.R. 30, the Save American Workers Act, will help increase hours and wages by eliminating the 30-hour definition of full time employee in the President’s health care law and restoring the 40-hour work week.

“Repealing the 30-hour penalty under Obamacare – a rule that especially hurts low income workers and women – will ensure that hardworking Americans don’t see their paychecks cut because of the President’s poorly thought out law,” said Latta. “When many are still struggling to make ends meet, this legislation puts Americans’ priorities first and ensures workers can take full advantage of opportunities to provide for their families. This bipartisan bill underscores the House’s commitment to the people who elected them to serve, and I encourage the President to rethink his opposition to this legislation and join us in creating real solutions for the American people.”

In addition, H.R. 24, the Hire More Heroes Act, which passed with unanimous support, incentivizes small businesses to hire more of our nation’s veterans by exempting veterans who already receive health insurance through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or TRICARE from being counted toward the 50-employee mandate under Obamacare. 

“An integral part of veterans’ assimilation to civilian life is their ability to find jobs and provide for their families,” said Latta. “The Hire More Heroes Act is a commonsense, bipartisan solution that encourages small businesses to hire more of our nation’s heroes by exempting veterans from the employer mandate if they already receive health insurance through the VA or TRICARE. I am proud to join my colleagues in the House in unanimous support of this legislation that both supports our veterans and promotes small businesses’ ability to grow and prosper.”

Finally, H.R. 3, the Keystone XL Pipeline Act, approves construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would create more than 40,000 good paying jobs and help make the United States more North American energy independent by moving 830,000 barrels of oil per day. This is the tenth time the House has approved legislation to approve the pipeline, and the President has threatened to veto the bill due to ongoing litigation in Nebraska. However, the Nebraska Supreme Court removed this major legal obstacle today with its ruling.

“We have waited more than six years for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline to be approved – valuable time that could have gone to creating the tens of thousands of jobs and energy security and independence this project will bring,” said Latta. “The President is out of excuses. Delaying this project any further is not an option. It is time for the President to stop playing politics with America’s energy future and start putting our interests first by approving the Keystone XL Pipeline.”

###