overtime bill

[lcordero]

I really don't like the way that this is phrased:

SA 1580. Mr. HARKIN (for himself, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. DASCHLE, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mrs. CLINTON, Mr. EDWARDS, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. CORZINE, Mr. BYRD, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. KERRY, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. FEINGOLD, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. DODD, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. REID, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. AKAKA, Mr. DAYTON, MR. PRYOR, Mr. REED, Mr. NELSON of Florida, and Mr. JOHNSON) proposed an amendment to amendment SA 1542 proposed by Mr. SPECTER to the bill H.R. 2660, making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004, and for other pruposes; as follows:

On page 23, between lines 15 and 16, insert the following:

SEC. __. None of the funds provided under this Act shall be used to promulgate or implement any regulation that exempts from the requirements of section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 207) any employee who is not otherwise exempted pursuant to regulations under section 13 of such Act (29 U.S.C. 213) that were in effect as of September 3, 2003.

This is the Harkin amendment. I do not consider this a defeat of the overtime bill. I have good reason to say this because Bushler* can use other funds in order to impede people from getting overtime. Calling this a "defeat" of the overtime bill is a deception.