Pyle Commends Federal Government on Decision to Exempt Volunteer Fire Companies From Affordable Care Act Requirements
HARRISBURG - Rep. Jeff Pyle (R-Armstrong/Indiana) today commended the federal government on the decision that volunteer firefighters and emergency medical service (EMS) personnel will not be considered as full-time employees under the Affordable Care Act.
The exemption, announced by U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey’s (R-PA) office on Jan. 10, comes after Pyle and his colleagues unanimously passed
House Resolution 584 in late 2013. That resolution urged Congress to intervene to prevent the administration from enforcing a rule that could have crippled volunteer public safety organizations and the municipalities that rely on their services.
“This news comes as a big relief to our state’s volunteer fire companies,” Pyle said. “These volunteers do not see themselves as employees of the municipalities they serve and it would have been absurd to have them fall under the Affordable Care Act insurance mandate.”
Pyle also noted that if that had occurred, Pennsylvania’s system of emergency response would have been significantly and negatively impacted. Nearly 97 percent of Pennsylvania’s firefighters are volunteers. Many of them serve in small departments that depend on contributions from sources like gun raffles and bingo games to fund operations. For them, the health care mandate could have meant closure. As a result, municipalities relying on volunteer firefighters and EMS workers likely would have been forced to raise taxes.
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Representative Jeff Pyle
60th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
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