Tipped Employee Protection Act

This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to change how tipped employees' wages are calculated. It removes the previous requirement that tipped workers must "customarily and regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips" to qualify for the lower cash wage rate. Instead, it requires employers to ensure that tipped employees' combined cash wages and tips meet or exceed the federal minimum wage for each pay period. Employers can choose the pay period (daily, weekly, biweekly, etc.) for calculating this combined wage, but must guarantee the total meets the minimum wage. The bill directly affects restaurant servers, bartenders, and other workers who rely on tips as part of their income.