Bipartisan legislation unveiled on Tuesday by Reps. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) and Jim Renacci (R-Ohio) would clarify the employer mandate exemption for seasonal employees under the Affordable Care Act.
Jenkins and Renacci teamed with Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) and Jim Costa (D-Calif.) on the Simplifying Technical Aspects Regarding Seasonality (STARS) Act, according to a press release.
“Employers who depend on seasonal help deserve to have clarity regarding their responsibility to comply with the employer mandate,” Jenkins said. “The STARS Act is a bipartisan solution that will provide employers with the certainty they need to hire seasonal employees without being penalized because of confusing rules. Our commitment is and always will be to ensure small businesses are not negatively impacted by laws and we will continue our efforts to create an environment for them to grow, create jobs and foster a healthy economy.”
Under the healthcare law, employers with 50 or more full-time employees, or full-time equivalent employees, face a fine if they do not offer health coverage. While there is an exemption is granted for smaller seasonal employers, critics argue that it’s not clearly defined.
The STARS Act would establish one definition for seasonal employees that could be applied to all industries to help reduce administrative burdens.
“As I travel throughout northeast Ohio, I continue to hear about the challenges our small businesses face as they struggle to decipher the Affordable Care Act’s overlapping provisions” Renacci said. “Our small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and instead of spending time and money to comply with the law, they should focus their resources on doing what they do best: creating jobs. I introduced the STARS Act to reduce burdensome regulations and provide our small businesses with the certainty that they need to hire and expand.”