{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://herrerabeutler.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=329100", "Jaime Herrera Beutler Supports \u201cFlex Time\u201d Bill for Working Families", "2013-04-15", "2013", "2013-04", "Republican", "House", "WA", "Jaime Herrera Beutler", "H001056", "herrerabeutler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Jaime Herrera Beutler announced today that she had put her support behind the \u201cWorking Families Flexibility Act\u201d \u2013 a legislative solution that gives workers in the private sector more choices when they need time off to spend with their families.  \r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Jaime Herrera Beutler announced today that she had put her support behind the \u201cWorking Families Flexibility Act\u201d \u2013 a legislative solution that gives workers in the private sector more choices when they need time off to spend with their families.\u00a0 Jaime cosponsored this legislation last Thursday. Currently employees working in the public sector who exceed a 40 hour work week are able to make a choice between paid time off or overtime pay.\u00a0 However, private sector employees are prohibited by federal law from making this same choice -- as of now, private sector employees must choose overtime.\u00a0 Parents working in the private sector who want to attend a child\u2019s soccer game or music recital, and would prefer flex time to overtime, currently don\u2019t have that option. This bill would expand choices for families struggling to balance demanding schedules.\u00a0 The flex time option would be completely voluntary for employers to offer, and for employees to use. \u201cMy goal here is to give working moms and dads more choices.\u00a0 This family-centered bill would allow employees to decide how to manage more of their time, whether that\u2019s being with their child or an aging relative, or tending to personal responsibilities outside of work,\u201d said Jaime.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s important to me that this bill protects workers\u2019 rights to choose what\u2019s best for them.\u00a0 We should update an outdated law to meet employees where they\u2019re at today, and in doing so we\u2019ll encourage a more productive workforce and a better work-life balance.\u201d The \u201cWorking Families Flexibility Act\u201d received a hearing in the House Education and Workforce Committee\u2019s Workforce Protection Subcommittee last week, and is expected to receive full committee approval in the coming weeks.  \r\n\r\nWhat this bill does:\r\n \r\n    The bill allows employers to offer employees a choice between cash wages and comp time for overtime hours worked.\u00a0 Employees who want to receive cash wages would continue to do so.\u00a0 It updates the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 which prohibits private sector employers from offering their employees the choice of accruing time off for working overtime hours.\r\n \r\n \r\n    Workers are free to \u2018cash out\u2019 their accrued comp time whenever they choose to do so.\u00a0 The comp time option is completely voluntary.\r\n \r\n \r\n    The legislation retains all existing employee protections in current law, and adds additional safeguards to ensure workers remain in control of their overtime compensation.\r\n \r\n \r\n    It requires a written agreement between the employer and employee, voluntarily and knowingly entered into by the employee.\u00a0 An employer is forbidden by law from making the comp time agreement a condition of employment.\r\n \r\n \r\n    Employees represented by union would need the comp time agreement to be settled on through collective bargaining between a union and employer.\r\n \r\n \r\n    Neither the method for calculating overtime, nor the employees right to receive cash wages for overtime work, are altered.\u00a0\r\n \r\n \r\n    Compensatory time off accrues at the same rate as overtime, 1.5 hours for each hour of overtime worked.\r\n \r\n \r\n    Employees could accrue up to 160 hours of compensatory time each year.\u00a0 An employer would be required to pay cash wages for any unused, accrued time at the end of the year.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://herrerabeutler.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=329100"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8077690619975328, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}