Bill Text: MO HCR26 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Strongly urges the U.S. Congress to pass the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-05-16 - Referred: Crime Prevention and Public Safety(H) [HCR26 Detail]

Download: Missouri-2014-HCR26-Introduced.html

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SECOND REGULAR SESSION

House Concurrent Resolution No. 26

97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES ROORDA (Sponsor), COOKSON, ELLINGER, HURST, HINSON AND KOLKMEYER (Co-sponsors).

5943H.01I

 

            WHEREAS, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers volunteers who receive nominal benefits to be common law employees of the agencies that they serve; and

            WHEREAS, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requires large employers to provide full-time employees with health insurance coverage; and

            WHEREAS, the IRS is required to enforce the PPACA mandate that employers provide health insurance and as a result many fire and emergency medical services (EMS) agencies could end up facing penalties starting in 2015 if they do not offer health insurance benefits to their volunteers; and

            WHEREAS, fire and EMS agencies do not have the resources to provide health benefits to their volunteers, and individual volunteers have no expectation of receiving such benefits from the agencies they serve; and

            WHEREAS, the National Volunteer Fire Council has sent a letter to the IRS requesting clarification in the final implementing regulations for the PPACA that volunteers will not be treated as employees under that act; and

            WHEREAS, the IRS has not, at this time, indicated how it will proceed; and

            WHEREAS, the 113^th United States Congress has introduced H.R. 3685 and S. 1798, proposing the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act, to make clear that fire and EMS agencies will not be required to offer volunteer personnel health insurance, even if they receive other nominal benefits.

            NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-seventh General Assembly, First Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby strongly encourage the Unites States Congress to pass the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act so that fire and EMS agencies do not face penalties if they do not offer health insurance benefits to their volunteers.

            BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution for the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives and for each member of the Missouri Congressional delegation.

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