NRF Urges Senate to Approve Amendment Repealing Flawed Health Care Reform Law

For Immediate Release
Contact: J. Craig Shearman (202) 626-8134
shearmanc@nrf.com 

NRF Urges Senate to Approve Amendment Repealing Flawed Health Care Reform Law

WASHINGTON, February 2, 2011 – The National Retail Federation today urged the Senate to support an amendment that would attach repeal of last year’s health care reform law to a pending Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that is expected to win approval.

“NRF has worked closely with the Obama Administration where possible to help smooth implementation of the law,” NRF Senior Vice President for Government Relations David French said. “Nevertheless, we are convinced that the health reform law is in the whole misplaced and will hazard future job and economic growth. We strongly support this effort to repeal and replace the health reform law with more job-friendly health care reform that will concentrate first on reducing the cost of medical care.”

Requirements for employers with 50 or more full-time workers to provide mandated health care coverage or pay hefty penalties for failing to do so beginning in 2014 is “deterring job growth today at the expense of tomorrow’s economy” because the anticipated extra costs are already prompting some retailers to slow down hiring, French said.

French’s comments came in a letter to members of the Senate, which is considering S. 223, the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Act. Senators are expected to vote this afternoon on an amendment offered by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that would repeal the Patient Protection and Afford Care Act of 2010. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has said he will not bring up a repeal bill passed by the House last month, so today’s amendment is an attempt to force a vote on the issue.

Also up for a vote is an amendment offered by Senator Debbie Stabenow, R-Mich., that would repeal a PPACA provision intended to help fund the law by requiring businesses to file a Form 1099 with the Internal Revenue Service whenever they make a non-credit card payment of $600 or more to a vendor during a single year. French said the requirement “will create a blizzard of reports that will needlessly bog down commerce while also swamping the IRS” and has no relevance to health care.

NRF will count consideration of both amendments as key votes in NRF’s annual ranking of lawmakers on issues important to the retail industry.

As the world's largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, NRF's global membership includes retailers of all sizes, formats and channels of distribution as well as chain restaurants and industry partners from the United States and more than 45 countries abroad. In the United States, NRF represents the breadth and diversity of an industry with more than 1.6 million American companies that employ nearly 25 million workers and generated 2009 sales of $2.4 trillion. www.nrf.com 

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