Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this bill.

H.R. 34, the 21st Century Cures Act, is the product of extensive bipartisan, bicameral collaboration between stakeholders and policy makers.

This bill stands to help us make significant progress when it comes to keeping Americans healthy, and keeping America on the forefront of medical innovation.

Included in the bill text are provisions based on legislation I authored, known as the Small Business Healthcare Relief Act.

These provisions would allow small businesses with fewer than 50 employees to offer tax preferred Health Reimbursement Arrangements, or HRAs, to their workforce.

The HRAs can be used to buy health insurance in the individual market, or pay for qualified health expenses if an individual already has coverage.

This targeted bill seeks not to override those long-standing responsibilities between employers and their employees, nor does it seek to override ERISA protections that existed before the Affordable Care Act was enacted, but to provide small employers an option for coverage in a robust individual market.

Given that this bill will be passed late in the year, it's my hope that the incoming Administration acts promptly to ensure a smooth transition for employers, employees, and the current exchange infrastructure.

Small businesses drive job creation and grow our economy. We should be going out of our way to help them support their employees so that they can focus on what they do best: running their business.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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