[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 35 (Tuesday, March 18, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H1048]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HOW COMP TIME WORKS

  (Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today 
to give an example of how comp time would work under H.R. 1, the 
Working Families Flexibility Act.
  Let us say an employee works 10 hours of overtime, 50 hours total in 
a week in January. She chooses comp time in compensation for the 
overtime hours. Her paycheck for the week reflects pay for 40 hours at 
her regular hourly rate. She puts 15 hours, one and a half hours for 
every hour of overtime, into her comp time bank. She decides to use her 
comp time during a week in May to visit a friend. During the week in 
May she works 25 hours, uses 15 hours of comp time, and her paycheck 
for the week is 40 hours. She pays taxes, and is credited with wages 
when she is paid for the comp time in May.
  This is what public sector employees have been able to do for years. 
H.R. 1 would give private sector employees the same choice. H.R. 1 does 
not require employers to offer comp time. It protects the employee's 
voluntary choice whether or not to take time off as compensation for 
working overtime hours.
  H.R. 1, the Working Families Flexibility Act, is commonsense 
legislation, and as we look at the public sector, we know it works. I 
urge my colleagues to support it. It is family friendly.

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