On the recordMay 8, 2013
Today is just a few days before Mother's Day, and the House Republican leadership has this House considering the so-called Working Families Flexibility Act on the floor. This bill is no Mother's Day bouquet, but instead it amounts to a bunch of dead flowers. It denies working mothers--like my mother, who still works today as a secretary and is a part of our middle class--and other hardworking Americans the flexibility they need. This bill only gives flexibility to employers. Under this misguided legislation, employers would have the flexibility to substitute compensation time for overtime pay. This legislation makes it less expensive for employees to work overtime, encouraging employers to demand more overtime, leading to more work and less pay. Instead, we should be voting on priorities for working families like equal pay for all, raising the minimum wage, and giving hardworking Americans true flexibility. Unfortunately, the majority just does not understand the needs of working Americans. Today, I will be voting ``no'' on H.R. 1406 because I will defend hardworking moms like my mom and others who rely often on overtime pay to make ends meet. I urge my colleagues to stand up for working families. Vote ``no'' on H.R. 1406 and give working moms what they deserve this Mother's Day, which is equal pay for equal work. ____________________
