Bob Dole: “this morning I want to praise the work of Elaine Chao and her staff on the final regulations to strengthen overtime…”

“this morning I want to praise the work of Elaine Chao and her staff on the final regulations to strengthen overtime rules for all Americans. Elaine Chao worked with me when I served as Secretary of Transportation, and I know her to be a public servant of the highest intelligence and integrity. Secretary Chao has identified the problems with outdated regulations and has taken the action necessary to rectify them. I admire her principled stand on such a controversial issue, and I commend her for her foresight in recognizing and working to fix the problems. The Fair Labor Standards Act regulations have not been revised since 1954, but labor forces, as well as employers, have changed dramatically over that 50-year period. These updates take into account the economic demands of technological advancements, salary growths, and shifts in the labor force that have occurred in the past half century, and they modernize these regulations for a modern workforce. Updating the rules is crucial to the 6.7 million Americans making $23,660 or less a year because until now only workers earning less than $8,060 annually were guaranteed overtime. The final rule provides a greatly needed increase, and, in addition, 1.3 million white-collar workers will benefit from their new earnings. The benefits do not stop there. More than 5 million workers will enjoy an ironclad guarantee of overtime rights, regardless of job duties, under this final rule.”