Department of Justice Drops Appeal on Obama Overtime Rule

By Daniel Reed

The Justice Department will no longer fight to preserve President Barrack Obama’s proposed overtime rule that a federal judge declared invalid in August.

The Obama-era rule would have required employers to pay overtime to most salaried workers who earn less than $47,476 annually, a sharp increase from the current annual salary cap of $23,660.  The rule would have extended mandatory overtime pay to more than 4 million U.S. workers.  A court challenge to the rule was filed by business groups and 21 states in the Eastern District of Texas. (Nevada v. DOL, E.D. Tex., No. 4:16-CV-731).

In August of this year, U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant, an Obama appointee,  struck down

Texas Judge Blocks Overtime Rule

By: Sharon Gold

In September, 21 states and numerous business groups sued the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) in a Texas Federal Court attacking the DOL’s Final Rule that raised the salary minimum for workers to be exempt from overtime requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).  The states filed a motion for preliminary injunction asking the judge to enjoin enforcement of the Final Rule pending a final resolution of their legal arguments against the Rule.  The businesses moved for summary judgment. 

House Passes Bill to Delay Overtime Rule

By Michelle High

On Wednesday, September 28, 2016, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 246-177 to delay the implementation of the Department of Labor’s new rule which raises the salary level for exemption from overtime pay from an existing threshold of $455 per week to $913 per week. The new rule is currently scheduled to go into effect on December 1, 2016.  Numerous business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Labor opposing the significant increase.  In addition, a lawsuit challenging the new rule has been filed against the U.S. Department of Labor by twenty-one (21) states.

House Resolution 6094, introduced by Republican representative Tim Walberg, seeks to delay implementation of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Overtime Rule for an additional six (6) months.  According to statements made by Walberg, he and others agree that the country’s overtime rules need to be updated.  However, he believes that lawmakers need to