{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=70da23d4-5beb-40da-a53a-88d8a6665ece", "Lee Introduces Comp-Time Bill to Help Working Families", "2013-10-31", "2013", "2013-10", "Republican", "House", "UT", "Mike Lee", "L000577", "www.lee.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced a bill to help workers handle the constant challenge of work-life balance by allowing all individuals who work overtime to choose between monetary compensation or comp-time. The \u201cWorking Family Flexibility Act\u201d would free workers to choose the best way to alleviate the difficulties of juggling work, home, kids, and community.\u00a0 Sen. Lee\u2019s bill is a companion to legislation first introduced by Rep. Martha Roby (AL) in the House.\u201cFor many families, especially with young children, their most precious commodity is time,\u201d said Sen. Lee. \u201cBut today, federal labor laws restrict the way moms and dads and everyone else can use their time. For decades, Congress has given a special exemption from these laws to government employees. This is unacceptable. The same work-life options available to government employees should be available to private-sector workers, as well.\u201d \u201cI am excited about the Working Families Flexibility Act gaining traction in the Senate, and I appreciate Sen. Mike Lee stepping forward to introduce a companion bill,\u201d said Rep. Roby. \u201cTalk to any working mom and dad and they\u2019ll tell you they need more time \u2013 just one more hour in the day to make life work.\u00a0 We can\u2019t legislate another hour in the day, but we can help working people better balance the demands of family and work by removing an unnecessary federal restriction on utilizing comp time in the private sector.\u201d Rep. Roby\u2019s \u201cWorking Families Flexibility Act\u201d, H.R. 1406, passed the House of Representatives in May. Sen. Lee\u2019s bill is cosponsored by Sens. Coburn, Cruz, Hatch, Johnson, Paul, Risch, Roberts, and Rubio. More Information: How It Works\r\n \r\nGives employers the ability to offer their employees the option of comp time or overtime pay, both accrued at 1\u00bd times the overtime hours worked.\r\nRequires employers who decide to offer this option to their employees to establish a written agreement with the employee outlining the options and to allow each employee to voluntarily choose the option that best fits his needs.\r\nRequires that comp time agreements be included in the collective bargaining agreement negotiated between the union and the employer for any employee represented by a union.\r\nAllows employees who choose to accrue comp time to accrue up to 160 hours each year.\r\nAllows employees to \u201ccash out\u201d their accrued comp time at the traditional overtime pay rate at any time throughout the year.\r\nMaintains all existing employee protections, including the current 40-hour workweek and overtime accrual, and provides additional safeguards to ensure that the choice to use comp time is voluntary.\r\nRequires employers to pay employees at the traditional overtime rate for any unused comp time at the end of each calendar year.\r\n \r\n\u00a0\r\nWhat It Does\r\n \r\nEnds the unfair discrimination against private-sector employees\r\nEnables parents to better balance work and family obligations\r\nFrees all workers to choose which commodity \u2013 time or money \u2013 is the more important resource at a given time\r\nLessens the burden of unnecessary federal regulation\r\n \r\nYou can learn more about the Working Family Flexibility Act and add your voice to the discussion of this proposal here: https://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/working-family-flexibility", 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://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=70da23d4-5beb-40da-a53a-88d8a6665ece"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8338750340044498, "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"}