[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16826]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        OVERTIME PAY REGULATIONS

  (Ms. WATSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, on August 23, President Bush's new overtime 
pay take-away rules will go into effect. These rules will slash wages 
for over 6 million Americans.
  Since 2001, this administration has passively stood by while 
Americans lost their jobs and unemployment benefits; but here in 
Congress, we have a duty to fight for the safety and security of 
workers who need overtime wages to pay their bills and make ends meet.
  If these rules go forward, the outcome will be disastrous for working 
families who depend on the income from overtime wages in order to live. 
Hardworking mothers and fathers in my hometown of Los Angeles will see 
their workplace more than their homes, their bosses more than their 
families as they are forced to work longer hours for less pay.
  Mr. Speaker, it is outrageous for Congress to deny overtime pay to 
the nurses, policemen, secretaries and every other person who works for 
a living, while the administration rewards millionaires and big 
corporations with tax breaks. Slashing overtime wages is another 
example of this administration's disregard for the well-being of the 
middle class.

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