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Chairman Scott: New Overtime Threshold Falls Short

March 7, 2019

As originally released by the Committee on Education and Labor

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor proposed to raise the overtime salary threshold to $35,308 from $23,660. The overtime threshold is the level below which salaried executive, administrative and professional workers must receive overtime pay for each hour worked after 40 hours per week.

"The new overtime salary threshold proposed by the Department of Labor falls far short of meeting the needs of workers who are struggling to get ahead. While some people will see benefits under the new threshold, the proposal would exclude millions of workers who would have benefited under the 2016 Obama administration rule, which would have increased the threshold to nearly $50,000.

"Workers have not seen a meaningful update to the overtime rules for nearly 15 years. This is a missed opportunity to implement significant reforms to ensure that workers are compensated for all of the hours they work.

"If the Department follows through with their proposal to deny millions of workers overtime protections, then Congress must act to set an adequate standard. This proposed overtime threshold, coupled with the lag of federal action to raise the minimum wage, has the effect of condemning American workers into poverty. I will continue to fight to advance policies that will bring workers out of poverty and build a thriving middle-class."

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