….."a group of Democratic senators on Thursday urged the Labor Department to reverse a Bush administration policy by extending federal wage and hour laws to home health care workers. Most domestic workers are covered by laws governing minimum wage and overtime pay, but home workers that care for the elderly and disabled have long been considered exempt. The 15 lawmakers - led by Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin - say the growing number of full-time home care workers serving an aging population deserve the same workplace rights as other employees." The AP notes that Congress amended the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1974 to cover household workers, but exempted baby sitters and companions for the ill or elderly, and that the Supreme Court upheld the Labor Department's interpretation of the law to exclude home care workers two years later: "At her confirmation hearing earlier this year, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis indicated a willingness to consider rules that would expand the law to all home care workers. But the agency has not yet issued any notice of proposed rules on the issue."……
Lawmakers Want Federal Rules To Cover Home Health Care Workers And End-Of-Life Care
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