{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-durbin-introduce-bipartisan-bill-protecting-employees-of-bankrupt-businesses/", "Hawley, Durbin Introduce Bipartisan Bill Protecting Employees of Bankrupt Businesses", "2024-12-06", "2024", "2024-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) joined U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in introducing the Protecting Employees and Retirees in Business Bankruptcies Act. The bill would empower rank-and-file employees in the bankruptcy process, allowing them to retain more of their wages, benefits, and retirement savings when their employer files for bankruptcy.\n\nCurrent laws don\u2019t prioritize employees during bankruptcy proceedings\u2013they prioritize the bankrupt business\u2019s creditors. This bill would change that, granting employee claims higher priority and placing restrictions on golden parachutes for executives.\n\n\u201cWhen companies go bankrupt, workers\u2014and not predatory creditors\u2014should be taken care of first. This legislation would prioritize workers\u2019 claims to wages, benefits, and retirement funds in bankruptcy proceedings, protecting compensation earned through years of hard work,\u201d said Senator Hawley.\n\n\u201cEmployees should not have to panic that they will lose their hard-earned wages, benefits, and retirement savings when their company files for bankruptcy,\u201d said Senator Durbin. \u201cThe Protecting Employees and Retirees in Business Bankruptcies Act would ensure that all employees, not just those at the top, receive the benefits they were promised.\u201d\n\n\u201cAmerica\u2019s corporate bankruptcy laws put executives first and workers last. The system is broken and must be reversed,\u201d said Teamsters General President Sean M. O\u2019Brien. \u201cGreedy corporations are allowed to use bankruptcy to deprive workers and retirees of their hard-fought earnings, while padding the pockets of C-suite executives. The Teamsters Union applauds Sen. Durbin and Sen. Hawley for their bipartisan collaboration to protect working people. We will use the full weight of our powerful union to support such long overdue corporate bankruptcy reform.\u201d\n\nCosponsoring the legislation are U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"]], "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://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-durbin-introduce-bipartisan-bill-protecting-employees-of-bankrupt-businesses/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7972610183060169, "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"}