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**Healthcare Reform
Update **
On Thursday, December 24, 2009, the Senate passed H.R. 3950,
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 60-39.
The bill contains three of our five key priorities including a part-time worker exemption, a small business exemption for those with fewer than 50 full-time employees, and it protects the ERISA framework for large, multi-state employers. In addition, progress was made on two additional priorities, although more adjustments to these provisions are being sought:
The National Restaurant Association continues to update the
website www.RestaurantHealthCareReformInfo.com
with additional resources. A summary of the Senate-passed bill will be
available shortly and updated grassroots tools have been posted. This includes
a new letter that is now available through the “Write
your Congressman” section of the website that expresses the importance of
maintaining the three provisions we obtained, and to push for the other two.
Right now, following the Senate vote is a critical time to be communicating with
your members of Congress while they are home on recess. Your help is needed to
continue to put pressure on Congress to maintain and achieve our five key
priorities!
Informal conference discussions will likely begin between the
Democratic leadership of both chambers right after the Christmas holiday. The
House returns from recess on January 12th and the Senate January 18th. Once a
final bill agreement has been reached, both chambers will vote on the measure
before sending the legislation to the President for signature. To pass the
final bill the Senate will have to achieve the 60 vote threshold on the
procedural vote, before a simple majority is needed for passage of the
bill.
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