U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, today sent a letter to Thomas Perez, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), urging Secretary Perez to reconsider a proposed rule that would establish paid sick leave for federal contractors, which is estimated to impact 422,400 small federal contractors and subcontractors.

“Small businesses make up over 99% of all U.S. employer firms, despite having fewer resources than large corporations to deal with burdensome federal regulations. However, the Labor Department has chosen to neglect small businesses as they proposed a rule to establish paid sick leave for federal contractors in their rush to fast-track the regulatory onslaught before Obama’s term ends,” said Vitter. “DOL’s proposed rule would not only impose a one-size-fits-all approach – which is hardly beneficial for job creators, but it also has the potential to crush entire small businesses and even blacklist some from ever receiving a federal contract. Clearly, small businesses need to have a voice in the rulemaking process, and I strongly urge Secretary Perez to have a comprehensive conversation with all those involved before moving forward with the rule.”

In today’s letter, Vitter cites concerns over DOL’s failure to include a complete economic analysis of the proposed rule. Vitter also requests that Secretary Perez extend the public comment period to hear directly from impacted job creators. The public comment period is required to be at least 60 days unless otherwise designated. For the DOL’s proposed rule, the public comment period is only 30 days, and the Agency has not explained the reason behind the shortened timeline.

Click here to read today’s letter to DOL Secretary Perez.

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