Bill > S1188

This bill, titled the Forty Hours Is Full Time Act of 2013, proposes to change the definition of a full-time employee for the purposes of the individual mandate within the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. Specifically, it amends Section 4980H(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, which is the tax law governing employers. The bill aims to adjust the threshold for what is considered full-time employment by changing the number of hours an employee must work to be considered full-time. The existing law, as indicated by the "del" tags (though not explicitly shown in the provided text, the context implies a change from a lower number), is being modified to require employers to count employees working 40 hours per week as full-time, rather than the previous standard which appears to have been 30 hours, and also adjusts a related calculation from 120 hours to 174 hours. The "individual mandate" refers to a requirement under the Affordable Care Act that most individuals obtain health insurance or pay a penalty, and the definition of "full-time employee" is relevant for employers who are required to offer health coverage to their full-time workers to avoid penalties.