Hartzler's office gets complaints about new overtime rule

The new U.S. Department of Labor Overtime Rule has drawn many complaints from constituents in Rep. Vicky Hartzler's district, according to Steve Walsh, a Hartzler staff member. Walsh visited California Friday, Sept. 23, to conduct a listening post at the City hall for the congresswoman.
One hot topic among the 4th District constituents has been the Overtime Rule which is to officially go into effect after Thanksgiving. Some organizations have begun implementing the rule in order to work out bugs in the systems.
According to Walsh, the complaints have been that the rule generally works for those having regular five-day a week, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. employment. The preliminary information is that the rule doesn't work well for those with irregular working hours. It is hoped that the problem can be addressed with the Department of Labor.
"We hear from real people, real citizens in our district who are going to be hurt by this," Walsh said. "Inside the beltway unelected bureaucrats laying down the rules for people about which the bureaucrats know nothing is a problem. They don't take into consideration the effect it has on people outside their realm of experience."
Hartzler is very busy, especially since she serves on three House Committees. She serves on the Armed Services Committee, the Agriculture Committee and the Budget Committee. She is also on several subcommittees. She chairs the Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, which can take a considerable amount of time. Some time back, Hartzler visited Guantanamo Bay as part of her work with the subcommittee. Walsh reported that the House passed a bill last week which prohibits transfer of those incarcerated at Guantanamo. Other recent House activities mentioned included the "No More Ransom Payments to Iran" bill, prohibiting payment of funds to Iran. Another bill passed was one to allow victims of 9-11 to sue Saudia Arabia. Walsh said what was unusual about it is that both the House and the Senate voted unanimously for this bill.
Walsh spoke of an upcoming Hartzler Farm Tour, which is in the planning stages. On these farm tours, she visits producers as well as FFA students and other agriculture-related entities. It isn't known at this time if Moniteau County is on the itinerary.