Tomorrow the House is expected to consider the Preventing Greater Uncertainty in Labor-Management Relations Act (H.R. 1120). Sponsored by Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, the legislation responds to the ongoing legal chaos surrounding the National Labor Relations Board in the wake of President Obama's 2012 non-recess recess appointment... Read more »
By Rep. John Kline The president signed his signature legislation into law three years ago this Saturday. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was a colossal 2,700-page bill rushed through Congress without much effort to engage the American people in the process. Then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi embraced this scheme, infamously stating, “We have to pass the bill so you can find out what’s in i... Read more »
The Affordable Care Act is cited five times in the Federal Reserve's latest Beige Book. One of those citations notes that the law will likely drive up demand for health care services. The other four describe the health care reform as hurting employment and sales. The notion that Obamacare, as the law is popularly known, would be a jobs killer was widely denied by its supporters. A report from the... Read more »
Here's a trend you'll be reading more about: part-time "job sharing," not only within firms but across different businesses. It's already happening across the country at fast-food restaurants, as employers try to avoid being punished by the Affordable Care Act. In some cases we've heard about, a local McDonalds has hired employees to operate the cash register or flip burgers for 20 hours a week a... Read more »
The nation will tune in tonight to hear President Obama discuss the State of the Union. As is always the case with this solemn occasion, Americans from every walk of life will listen closely as the president outlines the challenges we face and offers his ideas for leading the country toward a brighter future. With millions searching for work, the national debt rising, and a broken education system... Read more »
As the federal government moves forward to implement President Obama's Affordable Care Act, the Department of Health and Human Services is slated to spend millions of dollars promoting the unpopular legislation. In the face of this publicity blitz, it is worth remembering that the law was originally sold largely on four grounds—all of which have become increasingly implausible. Lower health-care ... Read more »
By Rep. Todd Rokita One of the great Indiana success stories of the past decade is what we’ve accomplished in the area of education reform. I am always proud to tell the story of our state’s success in Washington, D.C., and now, as I begin my service as chairman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, Indiana is poised to play a major role in shapin... Read more »
Gallup: Health costs are No. 1 concern for small businesses Small businesses say healthcare costs are the No. 1 factor hurting their operating environment, according to a new Gallup poll. Fifty-four percent of small businesses said healthcare costs are hurting the business environment "a lot" — making the it the No. 1 impediment identified by business owners. Taxes on small businesses came in jus... Read more »
One hallmark of the Obama Presidency is its habit of running roughshod over Congressional prerogatives. A test of that arrogation of power comes Wednesday when the Administration has to defend its imperial treatment of recess appointments in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. We have long supported such appointments as long as they are made when Congress is genuinely in recess. Yet in January Mr.... Read more »
Each year, the federal government spends more than seven billion dollars on Head Start, a program designed to help low-income children prepare for success in school and in life. In an effort to ensure the program is working for families and taxpayers, congressional leaders in the House and Senate have attempted for months to obtain information on Head Start's effectiveness and implementation. How... Read more »
