Bill Details
View committees (1)
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would change federal labor law so that it overrides state rules on overtime for farm workers if those state rules require overtime after fewer than 60 hours in a workweek. In simple terms, it would stop states from setting a lower overtime threshold for employees who work in agriculture, and it would protect the current federal approach for those workers instead.
- It applies only to employees employed in agriculture.
- It would block state laws that set a maximum workweek of less than 60 hours for these workers.
- The bill changes the Fair Labor Standards Act, which is the main federal wage and hour law.
- The measure is meant to make federal rules control over stricter state overtime rules in this area.
Official Summaries
Protect Local Farms Act
This bill provides that the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) preempts any state law that establishes a maximum workweek (i.e., the maximum number of hours an employee is permitted to work without receiving overtime pay) of less than 60 hours for agricultural employees.
Under the FLSA, agricultural employees are generally exempt from federal overtime requirements. However, federal overtime requirements currently do not preempt state laws that provide greater protections to employees.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 240 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 240
To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide for the
preemption of certain State overtime laws for agricultural employees.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 7, 2025
Ms. Tenney (for herself, Mr. Langworthy, and Mr. LaMalfa) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education
and Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide for the
preemption of certain State overtime laws for agricultural employees.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Protect Local Farms Act''.
SEC. 2. PREEMPTION OF CERTAIN STATE OVERTIME LAWS FOR AGRICULTURAL
EMPLOYEES.
Section 18 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 218)
is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``No provision of this
Act or of any order thereunder'' and inserting ``Except as
provided in subsection (c), no provision of this Act or of any
order thereunder''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(c) The provisions of this Act shall preempt any State law that
provides for a maximum workweek for employees employed in agriculture
of less than 60 hours.''.
<all>