[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 54 (Thursday, April 26, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H1608]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               REWARDING PERFORMANCE IN COMPENSATION ACT

  (Mr. BALLENGER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, performance bonuses and gainsharing 
programs are a way for employees to share in the success of a company 
that they work for. Whether exempt or nonexempt, all employees should 
have the same opportunity to receive bonuses for their hard work. For 
many employers, the administrative costs associated with operating 
bonus programs for their hourly employees often end up costing more 
than actual bonuses. Because of this, current law virtually ensures 
that employers exclude hourly workers from bonus programs.
  Today, I am reintroducing The Rewarding Performance in Compensation 
Act, which will help workers to share when their efforts that they have 
produce gains for the company. This legislation would amend the Fair 
Labor Standards Act to specify that an hourly employee's regular rate 
of pay in calculating overtime would not be affected by additional 
payments that reward employees who meet certain goals.
  Simply put, this bill would give hourly nonexempt employees the same 
access to bonuses that are exempt from professional employees that they 
already receive, and I ask my colleagues to support The Rewarding 
Performance in Compensation Act.

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