WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), a member of the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, today joined U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) in introducing the Hire More Heroes Act (S. 2190) – legislation to encourage companies to hire more American veterans while providing relief from the burdensome Obamacare employer mandate.

"Veterans who have served our nation with duty and honor deserve job opportunities when they return to civilian life," Sen. Moran said. "The Affordable Care Act’s onerous employer mandate should not keep our national heroes from being able to find good-paying jobs. The Hiring Our Heroes Act makes it easier for businesses to consider hiring veterans amidst the continued delays and confusion of Obamacare, while also helping to make certain veterans can support their families."

The Hire Our Heroes Act would allow employers to exempt veterans or reservists with health care coverage through TRICARE or the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs from the employer mandate requirements because they already have health care coverage. Under the Affordable Care Act, small businesses with 50 or more employees will be required to offer coverage or pay a $2,000 fine per employee, not counting the first 30 employees. A companion bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives in March 2014 by a vote of 406 to 1.

This bill is supported by the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS), the only military service association representing the interests of every enlisted soldier and airmen in the Army and Air National Guard, and the Retired Enlisted Association, a Congressionally-charted veterans’ service organization and the largest association in the nation of enlisted retirees and veterans from all branches of the Armed Forces.

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