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Committee backs bill to exclude voluntary training from FLSA hours calculation
Summary
The committee approved HR 2262, the Flexibility for Workers Education Act, which would exclude certain voluntary professional-development activities from hours worked under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The committee adopted an amendment in the nature of a substitute and reported the bill; recorded committee tally 18 yeas, 13 nays.
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce advanced HR 2262, the Flexibility for Workers Education Act, voting to report the bill after adopting an amendment in the nature of a substitute. The committee’s recorded vote to report the bill was 18 yeas and 13 nays.
Sponsor Representative Miller (R-Ill.) said the bill would remove a disincentive for employers to offer voluntary professional development to hourly employees by excluding certain voluntary training from the calculation of "hours worked" under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). "American workers should be able to develop skills they need to succeed in the modern workplace," she said, and described a restaurant server pursuing management training as an example.
Democrats, led by Representative Omar and Ranking Member Scott, warned the bill could create loopholes that leave workers unpaid for time they feel compelled to attend. Representative Omar said the measure and a companion bill risked "opening new loopholes that could undermine long‑standing worker protections." Ranking Member Scott and Representative Neal (remarks paraphrased in transcript) said the change would remove an existing restriction that limited employers from requiring unpaid, job‑related training.
Committee action: the amendment in the nature of a substitute (offered by Representative Miller) was considered original text and the chair announced the amendment agreed to. Representative Owens moved to report HR 2262 to the House; the clerk later announced a recorded vote of 18 yeas and 13 nays and the motion carried.
Discussion: members debated the interaction between this change and existing workforce-development programs such as the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), and whether the bill could discourage paid training or reduce program enrollment for related instruction tied to on‑the‑job training.
Decision: amendment adopted; committee reported HR 2262 to the House with a favorable recommendation (recorded vote 18–13).
