{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20140221021012/http://www.vitter.senate.gov/newsroom/press/vitter-rep-cotton-introduces-show-your-exemption-act-in-us-house", "Vitter: Rep. Cotton Introduces \u201cShow Your Exemption Act\u201d in U.S. House", "2013-11-21", "2013", "2013-11", "Republican", "House", "LA", "David Vitter", "V000127", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Vitter: Rep. Cotton Introduces \u201cShow Your Exemption Act\u201d in U.S. House\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, November 21, 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 applauded Congressman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) for introducing the \u201cShow Your Exemption\u201d Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. The \u201cShow Your Exemption Act\u201d would require each Congressional office to make public which staff they designate \u201cofficial\u201d and therefore must enter the Obamacare exchange. Some members have exempted much of their staff.\n\u201cFor members to use this illegal loophole so that some staff can stay off the Obamacare exchanges altogether is flat-out ridiculous. It flies in the face of the exact language of the law,\u201d Vitter said. \u201cOur legislation should be a pro-disclosure no-brainer. Making this information public is also a crucial step in ending Washington\u2019s exemption from Obamacare. I thank Congressman Cotton for joining this fight and introducing companion legislation in the House.\u201d\nMembers of Congress were tasked with designating whether their staffs are \u201cofficial\u201d. 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.\nVitter has designated all of his staff, including his staff on the Environment and Public Works Committee, as \u201cofficial.\u201d\nClick here to read Vitter\u2019s op-ed \u201cShow Your Exemption, Washington!\u201d in National Review Online.", 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/20140221021012/http://www.vitter.senate.gov/newsroom/press/vitter-rep-cotton-introduces-show-your-exemption-act-in-us-house"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9619455561041832, "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"}