The same work-life options and overtime benefits flexibility available to United States government employees would be available to private-sector workers under legislation proposed by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).
The Working Families Flexibility Act, S. 247, which Sen. Capito cosponsored on Feb. 4 with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide compensatory time for employees in the private sector, according to the congressional record bill summary.
“The Working Families Flexibility Act would lift restrictions on private-sector workers and afford them the same options government workers have when it comes to using their overtime benefits,” Sen. Capito said. “Now more than ever, moms and dads need the flexibility to maintain this work-life balance at home.”
In 1978, Congress passed the Federal Employee Flexible and Compressed Work Schedule Act, providing federal, state and local governments the ability to give their employees a choice between overtime pay or paid time off for working overtime hours.
If enacted, S. 247 would provide employers with the necessary flexibility to allow their employees to choose either the traditional overtime pay or paid time off for any overtime hours worked, according to Sen. Capito’s office.
“Working parents provide for their families, make ends meet, and take care of all the responsibilities that come with maintaining a household,” Sen. Capito said. “Those responsibilities also mean the time spent with their children is all the more important.”