News Archives
March 25, 2010
Health Care Reform is Not Over Yet
History was made on Tuesday, March 23, 2010, when President Obama signed the first of two health care bills into law. The bill the president signed on Tuesday was the bill the Senate passed last year on December 24, 2009, and the bill the House passed earlier this week on Sunday, March 21, 2010. However, on March 21st, the House also introduced and passed a corrections bill called the House Reconciliation Bill (H.R. 4872). This bill includes several important amendments to the Senate bill such as the increased threshold and exemptions to the excise tax. These changes were achieved thanks to the hard work of union activists across the country and negotiations between the White House, national AFL-CIO, and several international unions.
In order to complete the reform process, we must make sure that the Senate passes the House corrections bill which would then allow President Obama to sign the entire package into law. Labor’s support of health care reform is based on the condition that reform includes the changes we fought for in the House corrections bill.
We ask you to please contact both of New Jersey’s Senators and urge them to vote no on amendments and to pass the Reconciliation Bill as is. The Senate is in session today and these votes are happening now, so we ask you to take action as soon as possible.
Please CLICK HERE for a comprehensive outline of the provisions in the House Reconciliation Bill that we need the Senate to pass so that we can complete health care reform. Thank you for all your dedicated efforts.