Thompson-Smith Bill to Provide Relief to Employers Passed by House of Representatives  


Press Release

Posted:

Washington – Last night, the Employer Reporting Improvement Act – bipartisan legislation introduced by Reps. Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Adrian Smith (R-NE) – was passed by a strong, bipartisan vote in the House of Representatives.

“Last night, the House of Representatives passed my bipartisan bill with Rep. Adrian Smith to streamline reporting requirements, protect privacy, and ensure that employees have access to the health insurance they deserve,” said Thompson. “I am committed to helping American businesses create jobs and grow our economies.”

“The Employer Reporting Improvement Act will help streamline reporting for employers of all sizes,” said Smith. “I’m pleased this bill unanimously passed the House, and I encourage the Senate to take action on this commonsense measure soon.”

The Employer Reporting Improvement Act:
    •    Protects privacy by eliminating the requirement that employers collect not only their workers’ Social Security Numbers (SSNs) but their workers’ dependents’ SSNs.
    •    Allows electronic submission of certain forms to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which previously had to be faxed.
    •    Provides employers a notice before the IRS levies penalties against them if they are not complying with Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements.
    •    Gives the IRS more time to go after bad actors who don’t meet their ACA obligations to provide their employees with coverage that meets certain standards.