NRA to Proposed Healthcare Law: Yes, You're A Job Killer
The National Restaurant Association issued an advocacy alert asking restaurant operators to email their Congressional Representatives and support the repeal of the Health Care Law Act. The Act, which has been called a "Job-Killer", will be put to a reveal vote on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011, and as a side-effect, would take a national standard for menu-labeling off the table, in the short-term.
In an email alert to its members, the NRA says: "The National Restaurant Assocation stongly supports passage of H.R. 2, the 'Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act' and encourages restauranteurs to contact thier members of Congress and ask them to vote yes on this bill."
The health care legislation signed into law in March 2010 includes national provisions for the disclosure of nutritional information by restaurants. To comply, many restaurant operators plan on looking toward digital signage technology to post calorie counts and other required information for menu items.
Althought the NRA supports this menu-labeling provision, the overall impact of the March 2010 Act would do more harm that good, it says. "The employer mandate and associated penalties could force some restaurateurs, chains or franchise operations to shed jobs or close locations in order to avoid cost increases upwards of 40 percent. The industry does want health care reform and will continue to actively participate in the health care reform debate. But we believe Congress must seek comprehensive health care reform that focuses first on lowering health care coverage costs and not on reform that hampers the ability of employers to create jobs."
In an email alert to its members, the NRA says: "The National Restaurant Assocation stongly supports passage of H.R. 2, the 'Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act' and encourages restauranteurs to contact thier members of Congress and ask them to vote yes on this bill."
The health care legislation signed into law in March 2010 includes national provisions for the disclosure of nutritional information by restaurants. To comply, many restaurant operators plan on looking toward digital signage technology to post calorie counts and other required information for menu items.
Althought the NRA supports this menu-labeling provision, the overall impact of the March 2010 Act would do more harm that good, it says. "The employer mandate and associated penalties could force some restaurateurs, chains or franchise operations to shed jobs or close locations in order to avoid cost increases upwards of 40 percent. The industry does want health care reform and will continue to actively participate in the health care reform debate. But we believe Congress must seek comprehensive health care reform that focuses first on lowering health care coverage costs and not on reform that hampers the ability of employers to create jobs."
The NRA adds: "There are some individual provisions in the law that no doubt are beneficial, have broad bipartisan support and should be included in subsequent legislation or as stand-alone proposals. In particular, we continue to support the nutrition information and disclosure provisions that were contained in the broader law. However, the burdens of the fundamental provisions of PPACA that impose the employer mandate to offer health insurance weigh so heavily on the industry, they must be addressed."