NRF urges passage of bill restoring 40-hour workweek for benefits

Washington, D.C. - The National Retail Federation has expressed its strong support for H.R. 30, the Save American Workers Act, a bill that would restore the traditional 40-hour workweek standard for health benefits under the Affordable Care Act. The NRF sent a letter to each and every House office stating that all votes related to the bill would be considered “key votes” and factored into its annual legislative scorecard.



“Restoring the traditional 40-hour workweek would benefit employers and employees,” said NRF senior VP for government relations David French said. “It would return power to employers to establish and maintain healthcare benefit eligibility standards, protect full-time employees and benefit hourly employees with more hours, more income and greater opportunity to advance to full-time employment.”



The bipartisan bill was introduced the week of Jan. 5 by Reps. Todd Young (R-In). and Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), along with their colleagues, Reps. Pete Olson, (R-Texas), Mike Kelly, (R-Pa.) and Tim Walberg, (R-Minn.) The bill, which would repeal the ACA’s definition of a 30-hour workweek, is expected to come to the House floor for a vote during the inaugural week of the 114th Congress.



A corresponding Senate bill, authored by Sens. Susan Collins, (R-Maine) and Joe Donnelly (D-In), will likely will be introduced this week.