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Washington, D.C. - Today the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5006 Department of Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year of 2005, by a vote of 388-13.
U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands) issued the following position statements on essential amendments related to overtime pay for middle-class workers, and Social Security eligibility for Mexican nationals working in the United States and Americans working in Mexico.
1. Obey Amendment Prohibiting the Enactment of the Administration’s New Overtime Rules, passed 223-193.
“Before President Bush and the Labor Department retooled our nation’s antiquated overtime rules someone earning as little as $8,000 was classified as a “white collar” employee and not eligible to collect overtime pay. That’s ridiculous.
“The new rules actually expand overtime for 1.3 million Americans. Contrary to claims overtime doesn’t change for hourly workers, those making under $100,000 yearly, and workers covered in collective bargaining agreements.”
2. Hayworth Amendment to Prohibit the Enactment of the Social Security Totalization Agreement Between the United States and Mexico, failed 178-225.
“We have agreements like this with 20 other countries to protect American workers who are transferred overseas for a time from having to pay double payroll tax on their retirement benefits. But the proposed Mexico agreement is one-sided, too costly to our social Security system and too vulnerable to fraud due the tens of thousands of fake Social Security numbers. Rather than rush into something that could cost us billions of dollars down the road, the Social Security sub-committee on which I serve needs the time to thoughtfully scrutinize the proposed totalization agreement with Mexico.” |
