This week, the House passed an important piece of legislation to give working moms and dads more options. The Working Families Flexibility Act ends an outdated provision in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that prohibits the private sector from using “comp time.” Below you will find my statement on the bill along with links to video of my speech on the House floor and comments from a press conference with Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter to stay informed about what I am doing in Washington and in the Second District. I want to hear from you too!
My Facebook page is a particularly good way you can let me know what interests you. If you are not already following me on Facebook, please follow this link, then click the “Like” button on my page today! “Like” and “share” my Facebook posts and leave your comments on the page to let me know what is on your mind.
Please stay engaged through my other social media accounts at Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest, as well. Thank you for taking an interest in your country and community.
Your Time
On Wednesday, I voted in favor of the Working Families Flexibility Act. Earlier in the week, I participated in a Roundtable Discussion with private sector employees and working parents at The CENTECH Group in Falls Church, Virginia. Click here or on the image below for video from the pres conference.
Below is the statement I released following the roundtable discussion:
“I was so happy to meet with working parents from around the country today to talk about the ways we are working to make their lives better and provide greater flexibility in their work lives. This meeting reinforced the fact that private-sector businesses continue to live under an outdated federal mandate that says the only way to compensate for overtime is through cash wages. It doesn’t have to be this way. Many Americans would gladly entertain new options for how their work is compensated if it meant more time with family.”
“That’s why this week we will be voting on a new bill to help many Americans better balance family and work. H.R. 1406 — the Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013 — will give private-sector employees (under a voluntary agreement with their employers) the opportunity to choose paid time off as compensation for overtime hours worked.”
“We all have extremely busy lives. The choices we face often pull at our heartstrings and cause us to wonder whether that extra meeting at the end of the day was more important than a ballet recital or doctor’s appointment. By passing this legislation, this will be one less barrier.”
On Wednesday, I spoke on the House floor in favor of the Working Families Flexibility Act. Click here or on the image below for video of my speech:
NIH Tour
With my background as a nurse, I was pleased to join House Majority Leader Eric Cantor for a tour of the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland this week. While there, we heard from expert scientists on the important work they are doing in Molecular Biology of Lymphoid Malignancies and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance.
National Nurses Week
This week, we celebrated National Nurses Week. Before I came to Washington, I had practiced as a registered nurse for over 21 years. Few out there can understand the long hours, emotional heartbreak, and personal satisfaction that is our daily life, but through it all, we chose this profession because we want to help others and make their lives better. I would like to congratulate all of our nurses on the important work they do and wish everyone a happy National Nurses Week.
Photo above w/ patient (and friend) Billy Barfield and Brenda Mason,Office Assistant.