Keystone, ObamaCare first items on GOP Congress agenda

Republicans will use the first days back in Congress to target President Obama’s healthcare law and push for approving the Keystone XL pipeline, Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) said in the GOP weekly address.

Davis said that the House will take up legislation that would nix language in the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, that defines a full-time employee as anyone working 30 hours minimum per week. It would increase the requirement to 40 hours per week.

{mosads}Democrats have opposed the legislation in the last Congress.

The House will also act on legislation to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, Davis said.

“If the president is willing to work with us, we’ll have a real chance to address our nation’s most pressing challenges,” Davis said Saturday.

The House will also take up a bill that Davis sponsored called the Hire More Heroes Act, H.R. 3474. Under the legislation, employers wouldn’t have to count veterans who already receive government healthcare when counting workers in compliance with ObamaCare’s employer mandate.

ObamaCare requires businesses with 50 or more full-time workers to provide employees with health insurance.

The House passed the bill in March on a 406 to 1 vote. It stalled in the Senate.

“The Hire More Heroes Act is an example of the kind of bipartisan jobs bills the House will be bringing up on your behalf,” Davis said in the prepared remarks.