November 22, 2003
ANOTHER DEMOCRAT VICTORY TURNS TO DUST:
Congress Drops Fight for Overtime: Acceptance of New Labor Dept. Rule Ends Spending Bill Stalemate (Eric Pianin, November 22, 2003, Washington Post)
Congressional leaders last night handed President Bush a major victory by dropping objections to his plan to revamp the nation's overtime pay policies, even though many lawmakers say it will cost millions of workers overtime benefits.A stalemate between the White House and lawmakers over the issue has held up passage of a $284 billion multi-agency spending bill needed to let Congress adjourn for the year. House leaders may seek passage of the spending measure as early as today.
Bush's proposed new Labor Department rules would redefine eligibility for overtime pay, typically time-and-a-half after 40 hours of work in one week. Workers earning more than $65,000 a year could be denied overtime pay if their employers categorized them as administrators, professionals or other exempt employees.
The administration says the changes would better reflect modern workplace realities, and make many low-income workers newly eligible for overtime pay.
The House last month had joined the Senate Appropriations Committee in opposing the administration's plan. It marked a significant victory for Democrats and labor leaders, and Bush threatened to veto the spending package unless the overtime language was removed.
No wonder Terry McAuliffe when asked if he feared being replaced in his job as DNC Chairman asked: Who would want it? Posted by Orrin Judd at November 22, 2003 3:42 PM
This Administration often gets criticized for its management of relations with the Hill, but if you consider the narrow Republican majority in Congress, the legislative achievements of this Administration just grow more impressive by the day.
Posted by: kevin whited at November 22, 2003 4:33 PMKevin, you poor dupe...don't you realize George W. Bush is practically a socialist? Has your subscription to Reason lapsed?
Posted by: oj at November 22, 2003 4:58 PMWe're still pretty much mirroring the expectations and results of Bush's first term as governor in Texas. When he was elected, conventional wisdom was the Democratic-controlled legislature led by Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock would eat him for lunch, and he ended up getting everything he campagined on except a school funding reform plan.
Obviously, the Democratic leadership in Texas was more congenial than the bunch up in Washington, but the results are the same, as the Democrats work up a lather blocking Bush's judicial nominations while losing everything else in the process. They just better hope the down-ballot races in the 2004 elections don't turn out the same as they did in 1998 when GWB ran for re-election...
Posted by: John at November 22, 2003 6:47 PMWhen did McAuliffe say that?
Posted by: Matt C at November 23, 2003 11:02 PM