05/08/2006
UPDATE: S. 1955 passed its first procedural hurdle Tuesday morning, and the Senate is now able to debate the bill itself. This critical legislation would create Small-Business Health Plans, allowing small-business owners to join together across state lines for more affordable, accessible health insurance.
It's imperative that you contact your senators now to urge their support of S. 1955. Opponents of Small-Business Health Plans may still try to kill this important legislation by attaching unrelated amendments or other procedural votes.
Your action today makes a difference for your health care. Please contact your senators now by visiting www.SBHPalert.com.
Contact your senators now to say, 'Yes! to S. 1955'
Years of work by NFIB and our members aimed at creating affordable health-insurance options for small business may come down to a critical U.S. Senate vote this week.
The full Senate is expected to take up S. 1955 for a vote on Thursday. The bill would create Small-Business Health Plans, a way for small businesses to join together across state lines to negotiate for more affordable and accessible health insurance. Currently, many small businesses are unable to offer health benefits to their employees due to exorbitant costs.
"Access to affordable health care is the No. 1 issue for small-business owners,” said NFIB President Todd Stottlemyer. "The Senate has a critical opportunity to make a real difference for small businesses, their employees and their families. Every day, we hear from small-business owners struggling to provide health insurance for their employees, and they need help now."
As many NFIB members know, votes in the Senate are not always straightforward. S. 1955 is expected to have to pass at least a couple of procedural hurdles this week before the real vote on the bill. It is likely that as the bill moves closer to an actual up-or-down vote, it will face one or perhaps two "cloture" votes. This means that the Senate has decided to end debate and call for the next step in the proceedings. The next step might be discussion of the bill itself or the vote. A cloture vote is not required—the Senate can unanimously consent to move on to vote for the bill without it—but if a cloture vote happens, it requires 60 votes to pass.
"That's why your personal contact with your senators is so critical this week," Stottlemyer said. "We may have a high hurdle to clear with a cloture vote, but when we can clear that hurdle, the real vote on S. 1955 will be right ahead of us."
