The House Committee on Education and the Workforce on November 20 will debate three wage and hour bills that seek to make important changes to federal wage and hour law:

• H.R. 2870, the Working Families Flexibility Act, would legalize employer-employee agreements for compensatory time off, subject to strict safeguards;
• H.R. 2312, the Tipped Employee Protection Act, would broaden the definition of “tipped employee” and make it harder for the Labor Department to narrow the scope through regulation; and
• H.R. 2299, the Ensuring Workers Get PAID Act, would codify DOL’s Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program, which facilitates employer-initiated settlement of FLSA claims.

While these bills likely will receive a favorable review in the Committee, they have little chance of becoming law in the current political environment. However, they indicate the reform priorities that House Republicans will pursue if they get the opportunity.

Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC), our affiliated nonprofit membership association, can read more here. CWC members can discuss FLSA reforms at our Member Briefing: A Look Back and Ahead on December 10.