Ivy Tech Community College President Thomas J. Snyder testified at the House Committee on Ways and Means regarding the impact of the Affordable Care Act’s  employer mandate, which defines full-time employment as 30 hours per week for the purposes of applying the employer mandate. Ivy Tech is among those opposed to the plan.

Sen. Joe Donnelly thanked Snyder for his testimony. In June, Donnelly and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Forty Hours is Full Time Act, which would change the current definition of full-time employee from working 30 hours a week to working 40 hours a week.

“I thank President Snyder for testifying as to how this definition of ‘full-time employee’ doesn’t make sense for Ivy Tech,” said Donnelly. “I’ve heard from many employers and workers from across the state who agree: 40 is full time. It is my hope that we can pass bipartisan legislation, like my Forty Hours is Full Time Act, to make this common sense improvement to the Affordable Care Act.”

Snyder said, “I want to be very clear that Ivy Tech Community College is a firm supporter of ensuring Americans have access to health care. However, I would like to highlight some serious issues we face with respect to certain provisions specifically related to the 30-hour rule, which are having a significant impact on institutions such as ours, as well as for many of the individuals we employ … If 40 hours were the measurement for full-time, it would allow institutions more flexibility.”

The hearing focused on the ACA requirement that employers with more than 50 full-time employees offer health coverage to their workers in excess of 30 hours. Community colleges routinely employ thousands of part-time adjunct faculty members to supplement instruction performed by full-time faculty members along with bringing real-time experience to the classroom.

Sources: Office of Senator Joe Donnelly and Ivy Tech Community College