CAWP Legislative News 1-10

Senate Passes Health Care Reform Package, Construction Industry Targeted

The Senate voted 60-39 on December 24 to pass the health care package that has dominated political debate since passing the House in the beginning of November. The package has been largely unchanged and has continued to pick up opposition from both liberals and conservatives as it has gone through the Senate.

AGC has opposed the package from the beginning because of the complexity of the plan, the cost shifting rather than cost reductions and the likelihood that it will increase insurance costs for those who already have and provide insurance.

The bill took a nasty turn on the construction industry when the Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada included an amendment drafted originally by Freshman Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley that would exempt a single industry, construction, from the small business exemption that was included in the bill. Recognizing the complexity and costs associated with the mandates in the bill all businesses that employ less than 50 employees were exempted from the employer mandate. In a move that defies logic, employers in the construction industry were singled out to be required to comply with the mandate once they have 5 employees or their payroll reaches $250,000. The provision was added to the amendment introduced on Saturday morning and the amendment and the bill were never open to amendments after that point.

The good and bad news is that because of growing opposition on both the left and right, this bill will go to conference with the House during January and likely February.

AGC sent two letters to Congress on the bill and on the amendment. The legislative alert that was sent to AGC members generated over 4,500 letters. AGC will continue communicating with key House and Senate leaders on the bill and especially the amendment. We will update the alert and chapters as the negotiations progress. Please take any opportunity you have to talk to your members of both the House and Senate about singling out the construction industry for a different more stringent standard than the rest of America’s employers.