The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to establish a new standard for overtime pay, requiring employers to pay time-and-a-half for hours worked beyond thirty-two hours per week. The bill also introduces daily overtime rules that mandate premium pay for workdays exceeding eight or twelve hours. To allow businesses to adjust, the law phases in the weekly overtime threshold over four years, starting at thirty-eight hours and decreasing by two hours each year until it reaches thirty-two. Employers are prohibited from reducing an employee's total compensation or benefits as a result of these new coverage requirements.
The Better Pay for American Workers Act would raise the federal minimum wage to $15.00 per hour starting in 2027, increasing it to $17.50 in 2028 and $20.00 in 2029. Beginning in 2030, the law requires the Department of Labor to adjust the wage annually based on changes in the median hourly wage for all employees. This mechanism ensures that the minimum wage grows with overall wage trends, while always remaining at least as high as the previous year's rate.
The Fairness for Farm Workers Act amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to end the long-standing exemption that allows agricultural workers to be denied overtime pay. The bill introduces a phased schedule requiring employers to pay farm workers time-and-a-half for hours worked beyond a set threshold, which gradually decreases from 55 hours in 2027 to the standard 40 hours by 2030. Small farms with 25 or fewer employees are given a three-year delay, reaching full compliance by 2033. Additionally, the legislation removes several other exemptions that currently allow agricultural employers to bypass federal wage and hour protections.
Michigan Senate Bill 1137 comprehensively revises state civil procedure laws to expand protections for individuals with consumer debts by increasing the value of property exempt from seizure, such as raising the homestead exemption to $125,000 and the household goods exemption to $5,000. The bill establishes a new cap on wage garnishment, limiting creditors to seizing only 15% of an individual's weekly earnings or the amount exceeding 35 times the minimum wage, whichever is less. It also introduces specific procedural safeguards, including requirements for financial institutions to identify and protect exempt funds in deposit accounts and mandates that courts provide debtors with clear notices about their rights before property can be seized. Additionally, the legislation creates a mechanism for periodic inflation adjustments to these exemption amounts and restricts the state from intercepting tax refunds to satisfy consumer debts when the refund includes specific earned income tax credits.
Michigan House Bill 6230 comprehensively revises the state's civil procedure laws regarding debt collection, garnishment, and property exemptions to better protect individual consumers. The bill significantly increases the dollar amounts of protected assets, such as raising the household goods exemption from $1,000 to $5,000 and the homestead exemption to $125,000, while also establishing a new earnings protection that limits wage garnishment to the lesser of 15% of weekly income or the amount exceeding 35 times the minimum wage. It introduces specific protections for financial accounts by requiring banks to identify and shield funds originating from exempt sources like public assistance or tax credits over a 90-day period, and it mandates that courts provide debtors with clear notices about their rights to claim exemptions before any property seizure occurs. Additionally, the legislation creates a mechanism for periodic inflation adjustments to these exemption limits and restricts the state treasurer from intercepting specific earned income tax credits when collecting consumer debts.
The Guaranteed Paid Vacation Act requires employers to provide covered employees with at least one hour of paid annual leave for every 25 hours worked, capped at a maximum of 80 hours per year. Employees may use this leave for any reason without disclosing the specific purpose, and they are permitted to carry over up to 40 unused hours to the following year. The bill prohibits employers from retaliating against workers who take this leave or from counting it as an absence under no-fault attendance policies. Enforcement is handled by the Department of Labor, which can investigate complaints and file lawsuits, while employees also have the right to sue in court for damages and attorney’s fees if their rights are violated.
The Medicare at Home Act would add a new benefit to Medicare Part B that covers up to 20 hours per week of in-home personal care for beneficiaries who require assistance with daily living activities. To qualify, individuals must be certified by a physician as needing help with at least two basic or instrumental tasks, such as bathing, dressing, or meal preparation. The bill mandates that payment rates for these services reflect a reasonable wage floor for home care workers and requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to adjust monthly premiums to cover the cost of the new benefit. Implementation is scheduled to begin more than two years after enactment, following the development of regulations regarding worker qualifications and agency enrollment.
The Double the Wage for Overtime Act of 2026 amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to increase the mandatory overtime pay rate from one and a half times an employee's regular wage to two times their regular wage. This change directly affects non-exempt workers who are currently entitled to premium pay for hours worked beyond their standard schedule. The bill updates multiple sections of the existing labor law to reflect this new multiplier, ensuring consistent application across various employment categories covered by the act. These provisions would take effect 180 days after the date of enactment.
The Fairness for Farm Workers Act amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to extend overtime protections to agricultural workers, who are currently largely exempt from these requirements. The bill establishes a phased schedule requiring employers to pay farm workers time-and-a-half for hours worked beyond a threshold that decreases from 55 hours per week in 2027 to the standard 40 hours by 2030. Small farms with 25 or fewer employees are granted an additional three-year grace period, reaching full compliance by 2033. Additionally, the legislation removes several existing exemptions that allow agricultural employers to bypass federal wage and hour standards, ensuring broader coverage for workers in the sector.
This bill, the End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026, proposes to stop the issuance of H-1B work visas for three years and then restrict them to primary workers rather than their families. It would require employers to prove a shortage of qualified American workers and pay a minimum wage of $200,000 per year, while also banning the use of staffing agencies to hire these workers. The legislation further limits the total number of H-1B visas to 25,000 annually, removes the current lottery system in favor of prioritizing higher wages, and prohibits H-1B workers from holding jobs with more than one employer or working for third-party agencies. Additionally, the bill bars federal government agencies from hiring H-1B workers, eliminates optional training programs for foreign students, and generally prevents nonimmigrant visa holders from changing their status to permanent residents while in the United States.
