Bill to delay overtime rule introduced in the Senate

A House bill to delay the administration’s controversial overtime rule has been introduced in the Senate.

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) introduced the Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools and Nonprofits Act Wednesday afternoon ahead of an expected late night vote on the bill in the House.

The legislation, which the White House has already promised to veto, would delay the rule by six months, moving the implementation date from Dec. 1, 2016 to June 1, 2017.

Lankford and Rep. Tim Walberg (R- Mich.), lead sponsor of the House bill, are hoping to legislation will encourage the administration to delay the rule on its own.

The rule makes anyone earning up to $47,476 a year eligible for overtime pay. The salary cutoff now is $23,660.

Legal challenges against the rule are piling up. On Tuesday of last week, 21 states filed a lawsuit against the Labor Department and more than 55 Texas and national business groups filed a suit of their own on the same day.

The groups, which include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce claim the rule violates the Fair Labor Standards Act and exceeds the agency’s rulemaking authority.