{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20131115021749/http://www.vitter.senate.gov/newsroom/press/vitter-introduces-show-your-exemption-act-as-some-members-exempting-certain-staff-from-obamacare-exchange", "Vitter Introduces \u201cShow Your Exemption Act\u201d as Some Members Exempting Certain Staff from Obamacare Exchange", "2013-10-31", "2013", "2013-10", "Republican", "House", "LA", "David Vitter", "V000127", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Vitter Introduces \u201cShow Your Exemption Act\u201d as Some Members Exempting Certain Staff from Obamacare Exchange\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tSays there\u2019s a loophole in the Obamacare OPM ruling that some Congressional staff would stay off exchanges\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, October 31, 2013\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t(Washington, D.C.) \u2013 U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.) today introduced legislation called the \u201cShow Your Exemption\u201d Act which would require each Congressional office to make public which staff they deem \u201cofficial\u201d. The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives were both tasked with designating their staff \u201cofficial\u201d or not. According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) ruling, \u201cofficial\u201d staff must enter the Obamacare exchange. Staff who are not designated \u201cofficial\u201d keep their current plan on the Federal Employee Benefit Program. The Obamacare statue clearly states that all Members of Congress and their staffs are to procure their health insurance through the Obamacare Exchange. However, the OPM ruling created a loophole that allows Members to designate some staff as not \u201cofficial\u201d in order to exempt them from the exchange.\n\u201cFor members to use this illegal loophole so that some staff stay off the exchanges altogether is outrageous. It flies in the face of the exact language of Obamacare,\u201d Vitter said. \u201cIf these staffers aren't 'official', then the taxpayer shouldn't pay for their salaries or office support or anything else.\u201d\nVitter has designated all of his staff, including his staff on the Environment and Public Works Committee, as \u201cofficial.\u201d\nThe \u201cVitter Amendment\u201d, which would eliminate the Obamacare exemption for Washington altogether, would clarify that all Members of Congress, congressional staff, the President, Vice President and political appointees must purchase their health plans on the exchange. It would also require that they receive the same amount of financial support from tax credits or subsidies as any American outside of Washington.\nThe legislation prohibits the same group from receiving tax-payer funded contributions in the form of subsidies, tax credits, or employer contribution to purchase insurance on the exchange- as in most of these cases they earn above the maximum income ($46,000 individual/$92,000 family) and would otherwise be ineligible for subsidies or tax credits as defined in the statute.\nToday is the deadline for the House of Representatives to make their designations. The Senate deadline was October 25.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20131115021749/http://www.vitter.senate.gov/newsroom/press/vitter-introduces-show-your-exemption-act-as-some-members-exempting-certain-staff-from-obamacare-exchange"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7836236618459225, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}