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Moving in the Right Direction

Headlines Highlight Republican Effort to Provide Working Families More Flexibility

This week the House of Representatives approved this week the Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013 (H.R. 1406), a commonsense proposal that will help more Americans balance family and work. This legislation will allow private-sector employers to offer workers the choice to accrue paid time off or ‘comp time’ for working overtime hours.

Recent articles highlight the latest Republican effort to support the nation’s workforce:

The Associated Press –

The Republican-led House on Wednesday approved a measure that would give private sector workers the option of trading overtime pay for extra time off weeks or months later. The bill… would allow employees who work more than 40 hours a week to save up to 160 hours of earned time off for future use. GOP lawmakers say they want to give busy working parents at private firms the same flexibility that public sector workers have to take time off to spend with their children or care for aging parents. Read more…

Bureau of National Affairs –

Republican backers, including Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) have repeatedly called the bill a ‘commonsense’ measure that would give workers a needed choice to spend more time with their families in lieu of earning overtime pay. Read more…

Congressional Quarterly –

“We can’t legislate another hour in the work day, but we sure can give moms and dads a little relief,” Roby said during floor debate. “For some people, having paid time off is far more valuable than money.” Read more…

CBS News –

Republicans say the bill is family-friendly and gives workers the flexibility to choose how they would like to be compensated for their overtime - either with comp time or with overtime pay. Currently, employers must offer hourly workers ‘time and a half’ for every hour they work over 40 hours a week. Read more…

Minnesota Public Radio –

Kline, who represents Minnesota's 2nd District, said the bill represents conservative principles in action. “At the heart of the legislation is worker choice. Workers choose whether to accept comp time. Worker choose when to cash out their accrued comp time. And workers choose when to use their accrued time off,” Kline said. Read more…

The Hill –

Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.), who sponsored the bill, has said for weeks that the bill contains protections that ensure companies do not use the change to take advantage of workers in these ways. She stressed in the debate that the trade of overtime for comp time can only made in cooperation with workers and companies. “Despite the claims of my colleagues on the other side, no worker could ever be forced to take time off,” she said. Read more…

Huffington Post –
 

“This is about helping working moms and dads, providing the ability to commit time at home," said Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.), who sponsored the bill and pitched it as an update to federal law. “This is something that the public sector has engaged in for many, many years. If it's good enough for the federal government, it ought to be good enough for the private sector.” Read more…

For more information about the Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013, visit republicans-edlabor.house.gov/YourTime  

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