U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, today joined Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, in introducing legislation under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to block implementation of the Obama Administration’s overtime rule, which will force workers to punch the clock when they come and go from work and also prevent them from negotiating a flexible work arrangement.
“The Obama Administration’s one-size-fits-all overtime rule targets small businesses, American workers, and even non-profits and colleges. It will absolutely crush our economy, especially in Louisiana because lower cost-of-living states would carry a much higher economic burden than others,” said Vitter. “I’ll continue to fight for small business owners and entrepreneurs who face increasingly hostile regulatory requirements. Passing this CRA Resolution of Disapproval will protect employers and employees from this unnecessary, misguided overtime rule, and also prevent similar bad ideas from moving forward without congressional approval.”
As Chairman of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, Vitter has been critical of the overtime rule and held a hearing in May 2016 to examine how the overtime pay rule would impact small businesses. During the hearing, Vitter questioned Ms. Tammy McCutchen, former Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, on the impacts of DOL’s broad rule on states whose percent of salaried full-time workers earning below $970/week was over 40%. Ms. McCutchen made clear that lower cost-of-living states, such as Louisiana, would disproportionately carry a higher economic burden than others from the Administration’s latest one-size-fits-all approach. Click here to read more.
If passed, the CRA Resolution of Disapproval would nullify the Obama Administration’s final overtime rule, and also prohibit the Administration from issuing a substantially similar rule without congressional approval.
In 2015, the Department of Labor proposed a rule to increase the salary threshold under which employees qualify for overtime pay. The department’s final rule released last month, which more than doubles that salary threshold – from $23,660 to $47,476, will result in students facing higher tuition costs and workers having less flexibility and opportunity for advancement in the workplace.
The legislation is cosponsored by: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Dan Coats (R-Ind.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Dean Heller (R-Nevada), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), David Perdue (R-Ga.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).
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