Us Congress House Bill HB2299

Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/24/25
• Refer: 3/24/25

Caption

Ensuring Workers Get PAID Act of 2025

Impact

Under the proposed act, employers will have the opportunity to rectify any wage discrepancies without incurring penalties, should they proactively report and address violations through self-audits. The act aims to enhance compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act by allowing employers to correct wage violations more efficiently. It is anticipated that this will not only benefit employees through the potential recovery of unpaid wages but also lessen the burden on the Department of Labor's enforcement resources by incentivizing voluntary compliance.

Summary

House Bill 2299, known as the Ensuring Workers Get PAID Act of 2025, aims to establish a new program within the Department of Labor called the Payroll Audit Independent Determination program. This initiative seeks to facilitate collaboration between employers and the government by supporting employers who may have unintentionally violated wage and hour laws. It is designed to enable employers to perform self-audits and address any discovered violations related to minimum wage and overtime compensation voluntarily, thereby preventing legal repercussions for inadvertent noncompliance.

Contention

Some concerns have been raised regarding the effectiveness and ethics of allowing employers a route to correction without strict penalties, as critics argue this could lead to minimized accountability for wage violations. There are fears that it might create a system where employers may exploit the opportunity to minimize their liabilities at the expense of employee rights. Furthermore, the legal implications of the self-audit disclosures are up for debate, particularly in how employers are protected from future claims after utilizing this program.

Congress_id

119-HR-2299

Policy_area

Labor and Employment

Introduced_date

2025-03-24