Thursday, October 5th, 2017

Senator Tim Scott Introduces Amendment to Restore 40-Hour Work Week Unraveled by Obamacare

Contact: (202) 224-2718

Washington, DC-U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) today filed an amendment to the Unemployment Insurance extension currently being considered by the Senate that would restore the 40-hour work week that has been unraveled by the provisions of Obamacare. The employer mandate under the federal health law currently requires employers to provide insurance to full time employees and defines “full time” as 30 hours per week or more. As a result, employers are cutting hours for many employees to fewer than 30 per week. Senator Scott’s amendment would change the definition of full-time employment under Obamacare to 40 hours per week.

“Obamacare will destroy the 40-hour work week as we know it,” Scott said. “When the employer mandate goes into effect next year, many Americans who are earning hourly wages to support their families will see a 25 percent cut in their pay as employers struggle with the massive new costs forced on them by the federal government. Thanks to Obamacare, not only will these workers not have health insurance, but they will no longer have full-time jobs.

“I’ve heard from several employers and workers in South Carolina, representing institutions as large as Clemson University and as small as a local surf shop, who are suffering the consequences of the 30-hour definition. Obamacare is bad for employees, bad for families, and bad for businesses. While the negative effects of the law are seemingly countless, restoring the 40-hour requirement will help to soften the blow on American workers and keep their full-time jobs in place.”

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