Dent Disappointed OT Flexibility Won’t Get A Hearing

Washington state Representative Tom Dent said he’s disappointed that the chair of the House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee will not hold a public hearing on House Bill 1597.  The Moses Lake Republican said his proposal would have allowed Ag employers to select 12 weeks a year to employ workers for up to 50-hours per week before overtime applies.  Dent said despite Cut Off being just a few days away, he’s still pushing to have a hearing on HB 1597.

“Probably won't get a hearing to where the bill could move forward, but you know, I would still like to have a hearing. I would still like for the folks to come in and talk about their challenges; we still need to discuss the issues.”

Dent added many lawmakers from more urban areas don’t understand the stresses the farming community across Washington is facing.

“You spend five or ten minutes explaining why we want this and why we want to do it, then they seem to understand it and get their head wrapped around it. So, you know that’s part of it, educating folks, and why we need this and what production agriculture is all about," Dent said.  "And the fact that our producers are price takers, not price setters, and so much is out of their control.  Their inputs are out of their control, what they get for the product is out of their control, and so they're just left with what it is.”

Click Here to learn more about HB 1597.

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