If President Barack Obama is willing to work with the new Republican-controlled Congress, it will be able to address the nation's most pressing challenges in the new year, Illinois Republican Rep. Rodney Davis said Saturday, including several jobs bills that have remained on hold for some time.
The House session on Tuesday will start off with several jobs bills that have always had bipartisan support, but were not considered by a Democratic-run Senate, said Davis in Saturday's
GOP address, including the
Hire More Heroes Act, which he sponsored.
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The bill "makes a commonsense change" to Obamacare to encourage small businesses to hire more veterans by exempting veterans who are already enrolled in healthcare plans through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense from being counted toward small businesses' employee limits, said Davis.
"When small businesses — the engine of our economy — can’t hire, we can’t move forward," Davis noted. "So not only are we providing small businesses – and our economy – with much-needed relief, but we’re also helping more of our veterans find work."
The bill is just one of the items that will come up as the House returns to Washington this session, said Davis.
"The Hire More Heroes Act is an example of the kind of bipartisan jobs bills the House will be bringing up on your behalf," he said. "In the coming days, the House will also act on legislation to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, and to restore the 40-hour workweek for middle class families. From there, more good ideas for jobs and growth will follow."
Davis said the idea for the Hire More Heroes Act came from his home state of Illinois, when Brad Lavite, the superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission in Madison County, came to him because veterans were having trouble navigating Obamacare.
"Listening to the people and making your priorities our priorities: that’s what you can expect from this new American Congress," Davis said.
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