Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools, and Nonprofits Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6094, the Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools, and Nonprofits Act. I am proud to introduce this legislation to provide small businesses, colleges, universities, and nonprofit organizations much needed relief from a fundamentally flawed rule that will do more harm than good. It is unfortunate this legislation is necessary in the first place.

For over 2 years, Republicans have urged the Department to update our Nation's overtime rules responsibly. These rules serve as important protections for American workers, but the existing regulatory structure is extremely outdated and complex. The Department should have used this opportunity to modernize overtime rules for the 21st century workforce.

They should have listened to the countless small-business owners, heads of nonprofit organizations, State and local leaders, and college and university administrators who warned that an extreme and partisan rule would lead to harmful consequences. But the Department failed to take a balanced approach and refused to listen. Instead, they stuck by a Washington-knows-best mentality and finalized a rule that was exactly what so many hardworking men and women had feared.

The rule doubles the salary threshold for overtime eligibility and requires further automatic increases every 3 years. And then, to make matters worse, the Department even kept in place the same old regulatory maze that has existed for decades.

As the administration pats itself on the back and rushes to implement a rule in just a few short months, those who will face the real world consequences are scrambling to meet the unrealistic December 1 deadline.

Ernie Macewen, a South Rockwood small-business owner in my district, said he already opted to hire one less employee this year in anticipation of the rule. He said he has heard from other small- business owners who don't even know the rule exists.

Karen Richard, who owns Culver's restaurants in Ann Arbor and Jackson, is worried the rule will limit opportunities for the young people she employs.

Adrian College is trying to make tough decisions that could impact tuition and services for students, and the time crunch is making the process even more challenging.

Bethany Christian Services in Grand Rapids is concerned the rule will undermine support for children in need.

These stories aren't unique to Michigan. These are the types of stories that are unfolding across the country, yet the administration continues to quickly move toward the December 1 implementation date in total disregard for the challenges facing the small businesses, schools, and nonprofit organizations serving our communities.

Mr. Speaker, the administration should abandon this rule before it limits opportunities for workers, hurts young people striving for an affordable education, burdens hardworking small-business owners, and jeopardizes vital services for vulnerable Americans.

It is time to go back to the drawing board and work toward the balanced, responsible approach we have been fighting for from the start.

Time is running out. The administration and Members of Congress should do the right thing and provide more time to those struggling to implement this rule before an arbitrary and unrealistic deadline. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation and to help deliver the relief small businesses, schools, and nonprofits in each and every one of our districts so desperately need.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I would just respond to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from California, that I appreciate the passion that he displays. None of us want to be grinches. My concern, however, is that at Christmastime it won't be the fact that they would get more money as a result of this.

The fact is many will lose their jobs. There could be nothing worse at Christmastime than to lose jobs that they have had.

I would also suggest that the reports that were listed are similar reports and probably from similar researchers that told us if we liked our insurance, we could keep it; if we liked our doctor, we could keep him or her.

We are talking about an issue here that relates to people who are salaried. Most of the references that were made of employees by my colleague are people that aren't salaried. We are not talking about them. We are talking about people that are building a resume, an opportunity for flexibility, to meet the needs of their families, to have continued opportunity to grow in their work relationships and responsibilities. Some, as we heard in committee, come to us having started on the grill, went to assistant manager, and ended up owning corporations and leading them.

So I think we need to watch those studies, as well, and what they purport and where they come from.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany), a good friend and a gentleman who understands it from another perspective.

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Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In closing, I want to remind my colleagues why this legislation is so
important.

We all agree our Nation's overtime rules need to be modernized and worker protection should be strengthened. That is not what we are debating today.

Small businesses, nonprofits, and colleges and universities play a critical role in our communities. Right now, they are struggling to implement a fundamentally flawed rule under an unrealistic deadline, and many don't even know about the rule yet. At the very least, they deserve more time. More time would allow small businesses, nonprofits, and colleges and universities to make significant changes and mitigate the impact on workers, students, and individuals in need--for the positive, for the good.

I urge my colleagues to provide that time, even if they stand by the Department's overtime rule. A vote in support of the Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools, and Nonprofits Act isn't just commonsense; it is the right thing to do.

Mr. Speaker, this is what we are intending to do. We are intending to do the best for our citizens, our employees, and our employers.

Shouldn't it be worth an additional 24 weeks to make sure that this is implemented to the positive?
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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