Family Time Flexibility Act Introduced in Congress
by John Buckley

Originally Posted: May 28, 2003

On March 6, 2003, a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide compensatory time for employees in the private sector. The Family Time Flexibility Act (HR 1119) provides employees an option to receive, in lieu of overtime pay, compensatory time off at a rate not less than one and one-half hours for each hour of employment for which overtime compensation is required.

If the bill becomes law, an employer may provide compensatory time to qualifying employees only if such time is provided in accordance with existing collective bargaining agreements or by a voluntary agreement between the employer and employee where no collective bargaining agreement exists. An employer who has adopted a policy of offering compensatory time may discontinue the policy after giving employees 30 days notice, except where a collective bargaining agreement provides otherwise. An employee may withdraw from the voluntary agreement at any time.

The text of the bill is available on the Library of Congress website.