Paycheck Fairness Act -- Motion to Proceed -- Continued
Floor Speech
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Mr. President, for weeks Republicans have been trying to get Democrats to focus on the one issue Americans say they care the most about, and that is jobs and the economy. Everyone agrees we are in the midst of a jobs crisis in our country. Republicans are saying: Here are some concrete things we can actually do about it. But Democrats have completely shut us out. If government isn't part of the solution or if it doesn't drive a wedge between one group of people and another, they are just not interested.
Here is one idea that I proposed and Democrats have brushed aside: How about helping workers better balance the demands of work and family by allowing them time off as a form of overtime compensation? This is an idea that is tailored to the needs of the modern workforce. It is something a lot of working women say they want, and it is something government employees have already enjoyed for years. What we are saying is to give today's working women in the private sector the same kind of flexibility working women have in the government.
Everybody is familiar with the idea of getting paid time-and-a-half for overtime work. What this bill would do is give people the choice of getting a proportionate bump in time off for overtime work. So if you work an extra hour, you can get an hour-and-a-half off work. This should be a no-brainer. This is a concrete proposal to help men and women adapt to the needs of the modern workplace and for the workplace to adapt to the modern workforce. This is not just a way to help workers, it is a way to especially help working women. Flexibility is a major part of achieving work-life balance, especially for working moms. That is what this amendment is all about.
Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that if cloture is invoked on the motion to proceed to S. 2199, that all postcloture time be yielded back and the Senate proceed to the consideration of the bill and that it be in order for me to offer amendment No. 2962, and then for the majority leader or his designee to offer an amendment, and then it be in order for the leaders or their designees to continue to offer amendments in an alternating fashion.
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