Your Efforts on Overtime Regulations Make an Impact in Washington

On February 25, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) where the Acting Secretary of Education, John B. King Jr., answered committee members’ questions about the Department of Education’s role implementing the law. During the hearing, Rep. Mike Bishop (R-MI) asked for the Secretary’s input on the Department of Labor’s overtime proposal, specifically citing the unintended consequences and costs that the proposal will have on colleges and school districts in his area.

Rep. Bishop cited the same cost figures that CUPA-HR supplied to DOL in our comments on the rule as well as a letter CUPA-HR championed on behalf of public-sector employers. Bishop had been contacted by several colleges and universities in the district about the rule. CUPA-HR, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and other associations have been encouraging members to reach out to their Congressional delegation and asked Secretary King to relay our concerns to Secretary of Labor Tom Perez.

We can’t emphasize enough how important this type of outreach will be in affecting changes to DOL’s overtime proposal, and the video below is proof that our concerns are being heard. As the proposal is slated to be released this July, it is now more important than ever that members continue reaching out to their congressional delegation, taking the necessary steps outlined in our call to action and expressing higher education’s concerns found in our fact sheet.