Ayotte Meets with NH Ski Area Managers At Pat's Peak in Henniker

Press Release

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) joined New Hampshire ski area managers on Tuesday for a roundtable discussion at Pat's Peak in Henniker focused on legislative efforts to ensure New Hampshire's ski industry can continue to grow and thrive. Representatives from the ski industry expressed concerns with the health care law, specifically the definition of seasonal employees in the health care law, which they said could lead ski area owners to shorten their season.

After hearing from New Hampshire employers that were confused because the health care law has two different definitions of seasonal employees, Senator Ayotte took the lead on legislation that would establish one standard definition and simplify the rules for compliance. During today's meeting, Ayotte said she would continue to work on building bipartisan support for this common sense proposal.

"I appreciated hearing from representatives of New Hampshire's ski areas about some of the challenges they're facing as a result of provisions in the health care law regarding how seasonal workers and full-time employees are defined," said Ayotte. "I've introduced and cosponsored legislation in the Senate to address both of these aspects of the health care law, and I'll continue my efforts to build support for these common sense proposals."

Jessyca Keeler, Executive Director of Ski NH, said, "Members of Ski NH representing ski areas across the state welcomed the opportunity to meet with Senator Ayotte to discuss their concerns with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, with an emphasis on discussing the definition of seasonal employees and how that definition affects ski areas. The law unfortunately makes the definition of a seasonal employee more restrictive and takes away flexibility for both the employee and the ski area. Ski NH and its members are very appreciative of Senator Ayotte's efforts to work with employers and employees to address their concerns with the health care law."

Ayotte is cosponsoring the Forty Hours is Full Time Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joe Donnelly (D-IN) that would restore the traditional forty-hour work week. The health care law effectively defines full-time employment as thirty hours per week as a means to force mid-size and larger businesses to offer coverage to their employees. Even though the administration has delayed this part of the law multiple times, New Hampshire employers have told Senator Ayotte that the impending mandate has already resulted in workers losing hours.

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