Roskam, Glen Ellyn Fire Chief Hail Passage of the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act

Statement

Today, Congressman Peter Roskam (IL-06) and Glen Ellyn Fire Chief Jim Bodony released the following statement after House passage of H.R. 33, the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act. The bill would exempt volunteer firefighters from being counted against Obamacare's employer mandate, which requires businesses with more than 50 full-time or full-time equivalent employees to provide employer sponsored insurance:

"The Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Company and others like it across my district and the country have a proud history of bravely serving their communities without pay, and often without receiving the appreciation they deserve," said Congressman Roskam. "That's why this week America's new Congress unanimously passed the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act to ensure that volunteer fire stations won't be shuttered and our neighborhoods put at risk because of the harmful effects of Obamacare regulations or the law's excessive fines."

"We applaud Congressman Roskam and the entire House of Representatives for passing this legislation to exclude volunteer firefighters from harmful government regulation," said Glen Ellyn Fire Chief Jim Bodony. "Instead, we should reward these brave individuals, who are tasked with protecting 70% of the United States for little or no pay, by creating incentives to encourage more people to volunteer as firefighters whenever possible to ensure the continued safety of our communities."

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