Daines Introduces Bill to Protect Student Jobs

Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressman Steve Daines today announced that he has introduced legislation in direct response to University of Montana student concerns to protect Montana student jobs from cut hours due to Obamacare's employer mandate.

H.R. 3777, the Protecting Jobs for Students Act, protects student jobs by preventing reduction in hours or loss of employment caused as a result of the Obamacare employer mandate.

"Because of Obamacare's burdensome and overreaching mandates, Montana student workers are facing potential cuts to their hours and being forced to carry an undue burden as they work to support themselves while seeking higher education," Daines stated. "I'm thankful that the Associated Students of the University of Montana shared these concerns with me so that we could work together to find a solution that protects students' jobs and provides hardworking Montana students with relief from this misguided Obamacare mandate."

The Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM) recently contacted Daines with concerns about the potential reduction of student hours for on-campus jobs as a result of the health care law employer mandate and its impact on Montana University System (MUS) policies.

The ASUM Senate passed a formal resolution affirming their opposition to the "undue burden being placed on student employment by provisions" found in the Obamacare employer mandate and called on Daines to work toward a solution that would protect student employees from these provisions.

"Because of this, many student employees will be forced out of their employment and all students will now be prevented from working over 29.75 hours per week, per the new MUS policy put in place to the ACA provisions," ASUM President Asa Hohman wrote in a letter to Daines. "This will place an unacceptable burden on student employees who budget their finances around their current levels of employment. Considering the burden this will place on students, ASUM respectfully requests that you work with us to carve out an exemption for students to these provisions of the Affordable Care Act."

Under Obamacare, students working more than 30 hours per week in part-time jobs potentially face reduced hours to avoid being considered full-time employees under the health care law. Daines' bill would protect these jobs for students by removing them from the definition of full-time employee as defined under the health care law.

Specifically, Daines' bill would protect enrolled students who are participating in Federal Work Study; employed as a requirement of their enrollment, degree program or scholarship or tuition reduction associated with their enrollment; receiving credit at their school for the work, such as an externship or internship; or are carrying at least a half-time class load and employed by the university.

Daines' bill has been referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

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