Burgess Owens: “Mr. Speaker, as other members on the Democratic side of the aisle have stressed, the Republican majority has allowed us…”

“Mr. Speaker, as other members on the Democratic side of the aisle have stressed, the Republican majority has allowed us only a handful of hours to examine the content of this mammoth bill, which numbers in the thousands of pages, before holding a vote on final passage. This rushed vote on the omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal year 2005 represents more than a serious disservice to the American people. It signifies a disgraceful denigration of our role as elected representatives and a serious blow to our democratic form of government. Although I therefore lack any time to sift through, let alone examine carefully, the lion's share of provisions in this omnibus measure, I have seen two labor clauses which cause me the gravest of concerns. First, this conference report reverses a provision--which passed both the House and the Senate with clearcut bipartisan support--to ensure that workers who put in overtime hours get paid overtime wages. The Republican leadership in Congress has therefore joined with the Bush Administration in pilfering the pockets of hard-working Americans and their families. By taking away the right of millions of American workers to earn overtime pay, the Republican leadership is also turning back the clock more than half a century.”