The National Restaurant Association (NRA) issued the following statement from president and CEO Dawn Sweeney regarding the health care reform package proposed by Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
"The Senate has made key improvements in its bill over the House-passed version. The health care reform package currently before the Senate demonstrates meaningful progress toward protecting jobs and small businesses while taking steps toward providing access to high-quality, affordable health care for Americans.

"We need to ensure that the final bill improves job creation and entrepreneurship, and does not weaken the improvements included in the Senate bill.

"The part-time worker exemption is of critical importance to our industry. As the nation's second-largest private sector employer, this recognition addresses the nature of our business model and is essential for our ability to continue to create the jobs that form the foundation of our economy. We applaud the provisions that protect small businesses, which are the backbone of our industry and the U.S. economy. As well, we are pleased that the legislation preserves the ERISA framework to allow larger, multi-state employers to continue to offer coverage.

"We very much appreciate the hard work of the many senators who have listened to and advocated for our concerns in this process. We will continue to work with the Senate, the House of Representatives and the administration to develop a solution that allows the industry to provide its employees meaningful benefits and supports our industry's ability to generate the economic growth and jobs our nation needs."
For more information, visit www.restaurant.org or www.restauranthealthcarereforminfo.com.