[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2863]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS AND EMERGENCY PERSONNEL

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, the Internal Revenue 
Service on Monday issued final regulations regarding the treatment of 
volunteer firefighters and emergency personnel under the employer 
mandate provision of the President's health care law, the Affordable 
Care Act. The agency determined that volunteer firefighters and 
emergency personnel will not be treated as full-time employees under 
the law, which I was pleased to hear.
  Over 97 percent of Pennsylvania's fire departments and 90 percent 
nationwide are served by community volunteers. Today, by protecting 
these organizations from being defined as employers, they will no 
longer be forced to provide health insurance to their volunteers or 
face the threat of penalty, which would be devastating.
  As a firefighter and EMS volunteer since 1983, I joined friend and 
colleague from Pennsylvania, Congressman Lou Barletta, along with 
numerous colleagues in the House, to force action from the IRS on this 
matter.
  While this decision is long overdue, it is the right one. Our local 
emergency volunteer organizations now have the certainty knowing they 
will have the money to keep our communities safe. Unfortunately, Mr. 
Speaker, this is just a small fix to a massive law that is imposing 
economic harm on millions of businesses and families. Our work remains.

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