On Wednesday, July 23, the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a hearing entitled “Improving the Federal Wage and Hour Regulatory Structure.”  The hearing provided the House Education and the Workforce committee members an opportunity to “examine the growth of FLSA-related litigation and current compliance assistance efforts.”

The Fair Labor Standards Act sets forth federal wage and hour protections for public- and private-sector workers.  The Department of Labor estimates more than 130 million workers are affected by FLSA.  In a Media Advisory, the Subcommittee stated that “a patchwork of conflicting interpretations and a complex regulatory structure have created an environment of legal uncertainty among employers and employees.  A recent report by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) found a significant increase in FLSA-related litigation. The GAO recommended the department develop a systematic approach to identifying areas of confusion and improve administrative guidance for employers and employees.”

Witnesses included:

Ms. Judith Conti – Federal Advocacy Coordinator, National Employment Law Project (Washington, D.C.)

The Honorable Paul DeCamp – Shareholder, Jackson Lewis P.C. (Washington, D.C.)

Ms. Nancy McKeague – Senior Vice President of Employer and Community Strategies, and Chief Human Resources Officer, Michigan Health and Hospital Association, Testifying on behalf of the Society for Human Resource Management (Okemos, MI)

Dr. Andrew Sherrill – Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security, U.S. Government Accountability Office (Washington, D.C.)

Click here for the opening statement by Rep. Tim Walberg (MI).