[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 12 (Monday, March 24, 1997)]
[Page 385]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Letter to the Speaker of the House on the ``Working Families Flexibility 
Act of 1997''

March 19, 1997

Dear Mr. Speaker:

    America's working families find it increasingly difficult to balance 
the demands of work and family. Our nation's workers and their employers 
deserve responsible compensatory time legislation that gives working 
people the flexibility they need to meet their obligations at home and 
in the workplace, while upholding three fundamental principles: real 
choice for employees, real protection against employer abuse, and 
preservation of fair labor standards such as the 40 hour work week and 
the right to overtime pay.
    The legislation currently pending House consideration, H.R. 1, the 
Working Families Flexibility Act of 1997, does not meet these 
principles. As a result, I strongly oppose H.R. 1 and will veto this 
bill if passed in its current form.
    We should enact comp time legislation this year that meets the needs 
of working families and U.S. businesses. Last year, I proposed employee-
choice flex-time legislation and included expansion of the Family and 
Medical Leave Act (FMLA) so that workers could take leave for parent-
teacher conferences or attend to the routine medical needs of their 
families. With these objectives in mind, I encourage you to support a 
substitute amendment to be offered by Representative George Miller. 
Unlike H.R. 1, the Miller amendment allows comp time without endangering 
fair labor standards, and without burdening business with greater costs 
or risks.
    It is time for us to work together to give America's working 
families the help they need to succeed in an increasingly demanding 
environment. Although I am prepared to support and sign a responsible 
comp time bill, I intend to veto any legislation that fails to guarantee 
real choice for employees, real protection against employer abuse, and 
preservation of fair labor standards such as the 40 hour work week and 
the right to overtime pay. To that end, I hope that you can support the 
Miller amendment--a good step toward responsible comp time reform.
    Sincerely,
                                                  Bill Clinton