[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 18 (Tuesday, February 3, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H712]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                OVERTIME

  (Mr. TAKANO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to show my support for 
America's middle class.
  Currently, government rules allow for only 11 percent of salaried 
workers to be eligible for overtime pay. Contrast that to 1975, when 
the income threshold for overtime pay covered 65 percent of our 
salaried workers. This is because Department of Labor rules prohibit 
workers who earn more than $23,660 a year from earning overtime pay.
  Recently, I was joined by more than 30 of my colleagues in calling 
for this administration to raise the income threshold to $69,000. At 
this level, we could cover the same number of workers who were eligible 
in 1975. For 35 years, American workers have increased their 
productivity, yet they have not been rewarded. Let's remember that it 
is a strong middle class that drives economic growth.
  Be bold, Mr. President. Your administration can help middle class 
families. Raise the income threshold for overtime pay.

                          ____________________