U.S. Capitol by Toni Smith is licensed under Public Domain

Americans for Tax Reform and the Center for Worker Freedom joined eight other groups on a letter urging members of Congress to support four key bills to protect the flexibility of workers.

The letter was sent ahead of a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on Tuesday entitled “The Future of Wage Laws: Assessing the FLSA’s Effectiveness, Challenges, and Opportunities.”

The coalition asked Congress to pass the Modern Worker Empowerment Act, the Modern Worker Security Act, the Working Families Flexibility Act, and the Ensuring Workers Get PAID Act. Americans for Tax Reform has separately endorsed all of these bills in the past.

Read the full letter here or below:

March 24, 2025

The Honorable Ryan Mackenzie [R-PA]

Chair

Subcommittee on Workforce Protections

House Education and Workforce Committee

U.S. House of Representatives

2176 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Ilhan Omar [D-MN]

Ranking Member

Subcommittee on Workforce Protections

House Education and Workforce Committee

U.S. House of Representatives

2176 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Members of Congress,

As supporters of worker choice and economic opportunity, we the undersigned organizations write in strong support of the focus of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections’ hearing on “The Future of Wage Laws: Assessing the FLSA’s Effectiveness, Challenges, and Opportunities”.

In order for America’s workers, small business entrepreneurs, and industries to thrive in the 21st century, Congress must prioritize reforms that let Americans chase opportunity rather than permission. Over time, changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and ensuing regulations have required businesses to increasingly invest in costly, unhelpful government compliance requirements instead of investing in the American workforce and the innovations that help foster long term success.

In particular, the following legislation restores much needed contract freedom for American workers and businesses in critical areas, which will improve career pathways for tens of millions of Americans while helping to drive economic growth that everyone benefits from.

We strongly support and ask Members of Congress to pass:

  • H.R. 1319, Modern Worker Empowerment Act, which would harmonize an employment
    test under FLSA and the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) that is straightforward to
    comply with and protects self-employment career pathways.
  • H.R. 1320, Modern Worker Security Act, which would allow businesses to offer portable
    benefits to independent contractor clients without facing reclassification penalties that
    take away self-employment opportunities.
  • Working Families Flexibility Act, which would give all American workers eligible to earn
    overtime the same opportunity that federal employees have – a choice between earning
    time and a half pay or accumulating time and half paid leave.
  • Ensuring Workers get PAID Act, which helps employers identify and resolve minimum wage and overtime pay violations. Self-reporting businesses receive assistance from the Department of Labor (DOL) to fix the issues and ensure their workers are made whole.

Together, these bills would create significant new opportunities and flexibility for the American workforce, allowing businesses and workers to create mutually beneficial arrangements that help everyone. We ask that you support each of these bills to advance economic opportunity as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Austen Bannan, Employment Policy Fellow, Americans for Prosperity

Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform

Will Swaim, President, California Policy Center

Rowan Saydlowski, Director, Center for Worker Freedom

Patrice Onwuka, Director, Center for Economic Opportunity, Independent Women

F. Vincent Vernuccio, President, Institute for the American Worker

Michael Melendez, Executive Vice President, Libertas Institute

Steve Delie, Director of Labor Policy, Mackinac Center for Public Policy

Paul Gessing, President, Rio Grande Foundation

Isabel Soto, Director of Policy, The LIBRE Initiative