Jumpstart Our Business Strength (JOBS) Act

JUMPSTART OUR BUSINESS STRENGTH (JOBS) ACT

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, in response to the Senator from Iowa, who has worked very hard on this bill, it is a bill that should be voted on and it is a bill that will be voted on before the session is ended. It is an important bill for business, for America, and for jobs. But the reason this bill has not been voted on is because we on this side of the aisle believe that Senators from both parties should stand up and cast their votes and take a position on the Bush administration's proposal to take the right to overtime pay away from 8 million working Americans.

When we look at the people who will be disadvantaged by this Bush administration change, they include policemen, firefighters, nurses, veterans, and scores of other occupations in America that will lose the right to overtime pay because of the Bush administration policy.

All we have asked for on the Democratic side of the aisle is a simple up-or-down, yes-or-no vote. Let those who agree with the Bush administration-for the first time since 1938 we have a President who is going to remove the right to overtime pay-vote with their President. Let them vote to take away overtime pay from 8 million Americans.

Let those of us who think this is a bad thing to do, taking away overtime pay from nurses at a time when hospitals are desperate to keep them working, taking away overtime pay from veterans who picked up training when they were in the military and will now be penalized by this Bush administration overtime change, let those of us who think these are horrible outcomes vote no. That is all we have asked for, and because the Republican leadership does not want to go on record again against the Bush administration on overtime pay, they have chosen instead to pull the bill off the calendar.
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All the things the Senator from Iowa said notwithstanding, if they would give us a vote on that amendment, we could move forward on this bill, and we should. This is one of the few chances we are going to have to address meaningful issues that relate to jobs and the economy. We cannot in any way squander this opportunity.

I thank the Senator from Iowa for his hard work. The Senator from Montana, Mr. Baucus, has joined him in this effort. For goodness' sake, give us an up-or-down vote on this overtime pay issue and let us move forward and pass this bill. Unless and until that occurs, we are going to continue to have this standoff.