[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16827]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          FINAL OVERTIME RULES

  (Mr. OWENS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, on their policy of liquidating overtime pay 
as we know it, the Republican majority should end their covert sabotage 
and come out of the closet. The right to overtime pay is a fundamental 
right guaranteed for the past 66 years by the Fair Labor Standards Act. 
For 6 million or more American workers, however, that right will expire 
in exactly 1 month's time.
  On August 23, a Bush administration rule will be implemented to strip 
hardworking Americans, including certain police officers, nurses, 
preschool teachers and many others, of rightfully earned overtime pay. 
Republicans must admit their war on overtime. Come out of the closet.
  The House Republican leadership is now refusing to bring the fiscal 
year 2005 Labor-HHS appropriations to the floor. The Republicans fear 
the truth and power of a Democratic amendment to reverse this Bush rule 
and protect workers' rights to overtime pay. The Republicans are afraid 
to expose their unjust policy to the voters.
  Under the Bush economic plan which favors the haves and have-mores, 
an increasing number of American workers have had to rely on overtime 
wages simply to pay their electricity bill or their monthly mortgage.
  But overtime for working families is also an issue of fundamental 
fairness. In Iraq, 90 percent of the frontline soldiers are the 
children of these working families. Mandating that employees work extra 
hours without adequate pay is a betrayal of the trust of the families 
of our heroes.
  Vote ``yes'' on overtime pay. Bring it to the floor today.

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