{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/senate-gop-supports-robys-comp-time-bill", "Senate GOP supports Roby's comp-time bill", "2013-11-14", "2013", "2013-11", "Republican", "House", "AL", "Martha Roby", "R000591", "roby.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Senate Republicans are promoting a comp-time proposal by GOP Rep. Martha Roby of Alabama as a way to bring more flexibility to the workplace.\nRoby\u2019s bill would let hourly employees in the private sector choose time off instead of overtime pay.\nSens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah recently introduced similar versions of the legislation, which passed the House in May. It would make comp time a voluntary option for employees who have worked overtime, just like in the public sector.\n\u201cWhile Congress can\u2019t legislate another hour in the day, we can help working Americans better balance the demands of work and family,\u201d said McConnell, the Senate\u2019s minority leader.\nLee said the idea is part of an overall GOP strategy to address issues important to the middle class.\n\u201cFor many families, especially with young children, their most precious commodity is time,\u201d Lee said.\nDespite the interest from the Republican senators, the bill appears unlikely to become law. House Democrats strongly opposed Roby\u2019s bill, and Democrats in charge of the Senate are raising the same objections.\n\u201cWorking families are desperate for more flexibility at work and more time with their families,\u201d said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. \u201cUnfortunately, I have concerns about this bill and whether it will deliver what it promises and in a way that protects workers from being pressured into making choices that will actually hurt their families.\u201d\nHarkin is chairman of the Senate committee that will review the proposals from McConnell and Lee.\nAlmost all House Democrats voted against Roby\u2019s bill. They said it would prompt employers to pressure workers to take comp time instead of overtime pay in order to cut payroll costs. They also said it doesn\u2019t guarantee that comp time could be taken when an employee needed it.\nHarkin said he prefers his proposed Healthy Families Act, which would provide a \u201cmore definite\u201d benefit, such as allowing workers to earn up to seven paid sick days a year.\nHe called the GOP comp-time bills \u201cthe wrong approach to the very critical problem of helping workers balance job responsibilities with family and caregiving.\u201d\nThe Fair Labor and Standards Act of 1938 states hourly employees in the private sector who work more than 40 hours a week must be paid for their extra time at one-and-a-half times their regular hourly wage. Comp time is an option only in the public sector.\nRoby\u2019s bill would make it legal for a private-sector employer and an employee to agree in writing that the employee will take an hour-and-a-half of comp time for every hour of overtime worked. For those in a union, the option would be available only as allowed by the collective-bargaining agreement. And it would allow employees to file a complaint under federal labor law if an employer coerces workers into choosing comp time.\nRoby said her bill is gaining traction in the Senate.\n\u201cTo have so many influential conservatives behind this bill sends a powerful message about our commitment to empowering Americans with more freedom and more flexibility in the workplace,\u201d she said.\nTo read this article on the publication's website, click here.", 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": ["http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/senate-gop-supports-robys-comp-time-bill"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7696719150990248, "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"}