House Republicans passed a bill on Tuesday that would let employers in the private-sector give workers paid time off instead of overtime pay.
The bill passed 229 to 197, and was largely along party lines, the Washington Post reports. No Democrats voted for the bill, and only six Republicans voted against it.
While Republicans think the bill will give greater flexibility to employers and their workers, notes the Post, Democrats think the bill undercuts the Fair Labor Standards act.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) was one Democrat who vehemently spoke out against it, tweeting on Tuesday that the bill is a “disgrace.” But Republicans don’t agree. “I don’t think there’s anything more powerful than giving them more control over their time so that they can make the best decisions for themselves and their families,” Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington said of the bill, according to CNN.
Today, @HouseGOP are voting to make it legal for employers to cheat workers out of overtime. It's a disgrace. https://t.co/mZxipmCjEJ
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) May 2, 2017
The bill now faces the Senate, where its fate is unclear. Similar bills have passed in the House in the past, but failed to pass the Senate, the Post reports.
