Bradley Byrne

Let's not forget that no matter how much money we pump out of Washington, it doesn't take the place of the American economy.

The bottom line is paid sick leave benefits are important, but a one-size-fits-all Federal mandate is not the answer.

This bill, the one that we are here to talk about, is not the answer. It is a partisan bill.

If you want to solve a problem like this, you do it on a bipartisan basis, not a partisan basis.

Just yesterday, President Trump made clear that he is interested in negotiations with Congress regarding additional paid sick leave proposals to help us get through the COVID-19 outbreak.

For weeks, we were told that we couldn't wait, we had to go forward with impeachment before Christmas, that the Republic was at stake. And then this House passed a purely partisan impeachment yesterday, and the Speaker has decided to hold…

I return the gentleman's respect, and I know that he has worked long and hard on this. I agree with him that this is a real problem that is getting worse, but we are not going to make it better if we pass something in this House that will…

And here comes the big Federal Government with a bunch for new regulations out there that are going to make independent contracting very difficult.

I think we should be sitting down and talking to those workers and say what do you need?

Not once have I had one of them come to me and say, 'I wish I had a union.'

I have yet to have one person at any of my town halls, at any of the businesses I have visited anywhere, come up to me and say I don't think I have enough workforce protections or anything close to that.

These efforts are ongoing even despite the fact that many Americans in the modern economy desire to work for themselves on their own terms.

Instead of building on these successes, Democrats in Congress are advocating policies that will take our labor laws and economy backwards.

American workers are benefitting from a strong economy ushered in by Republican pro-growth policies.

That is not helping the American economy and that is certainly not helping the people that work for those small businesses.

We have a rapidly changing American workforce and workplace. And things are moving a lot faster than the government moves.

There is not 30 percent of the people out there that are not complying with this law. That is just not true.

The worst thing the government can do would be to put together a law like this and put it out there and create that impediment.

To compete in our modern and ever-changing economy, companies and individuals are seeking flexible workforce arrangements.

It appears to me that committee Democrats decided on their preferred approach, which makes me question the purpose of today's meeting.

Instead of considering an unworkable bill that will damage workers and business, we should be discussing how to modernize the Fair Labor Standards Act and bring it into the 21st century.

Safety and health in the workplace must be a priority, and it's important that the government work with employers.

One fatality is still too many, and we need to continue promoting the best possible policies to ensure a safe and healthy workplace.

It is vital that MSHA maintain high standards of safety, while also allowing the industry to innovate for the benefit of mine workers and the American economy.