Michael Baumgartner: “my voters and my constituents sent me here to help solve problems, to help small business, to help employees, and to…”

“my voters and my constituents sent me here to help solve problems, to help small business, to help employees, and to help grow the economy. As such, I am proud to support the Tipped Employee Protection Act. This important bill will help codify changes we are making in Congress to help tip the scales in favor of our service workers and waitresses. Current Fair Labor Standards Act rules define tipped work as someone who customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips. It also considers a standard known as the 80/20 rule, which stipulates that tipped workers can spend no more than 20 percent of their time, or 30 minutes at a stretch, doing tasks that don't directly earn tips. If that sounds arbitrary, that is because it is. Restaurants and similar businesses already run on thin margins. Keeping track of that kind of detail adds unnecessary red tape and stress. We all know how tough it is out there right now for small businesses. That is why Representative Steve Womack and I introduced the Tipped Employee Protection Act. This bill replaces the outdated definition of tipped employees with a simpler and more realistic definition.”