I would like to thank my colleague and ranking member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, Mr. Scott, for yielding. I stand here in opposition to this resolution, which looks to undo rules that provide safety and fairness in the workplace. The Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule speaks for itself. It ensures that contractors entrusted with taxpayer dollars cannot exploit their workers and that repeated lawbreakers do not get a competitive advantage. This standard does not impose extra regulations on contractors. It simply requires that they follow the law. These laws make sure women are paid the same wages for the same work. They make sure that employers are paying a fair rate for overtime work. They protect employees with disabilities. And they protect workers who are victims of sexual assault or sexual harassment by ensuring those individuals have an opportunity to be heard. A 2013 Senate report found that government contractors are often among the worst violators of the workplace safety, wage, and hour laws. Nearly one in three companies with the worst safety and wage violations are Federal contractors. Americans working for Federal contractors lose up to $2.5 billion each year to violations of minimum wage laws alone. This is unacceptable and exactly why this order was executed--to protect workers.…
Share
More from Adriano Espaillat
Tonight I rise to honor the life and legacy of Congressman Raul Grijalva. Raul Grijalva passed away peacefully on March 13 of this year, surrounded by his wife and three daughters. Born in Tucson, Arizona, on February 19, 1948, he was…
It is with a heavy heart that I rise on the floor today as people across the Dominican diaspora are united in solidarity to mourn the devastating tragedy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Following the collapse of a roof at a…
The legal community has a longstanding tradition of representing historically underrepresented communities in important constitutional and historic landmark cases. Right now, the President and his cronies are shaking down the legal world…
This nation, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary, still has promise. And I think immigration has been a central part of our ability to move forward as a nation.





