The House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a public hearing this week on H.4219, the Workflex in the 21st Century Act. The bill, which was filed by Representative Mimi Walters (R-CA), would exempt companies from state and local paid-leave laws if they meet minimum federal paid leave standards and flexible work requirements. A number of business organizations, including the US Chamber of Commerce among others, had previously endorsed the bill. At the hearing, the committee also took supportive testimony from the Society for Human Resource Management along with WealthWise Financial Services while the Groom Law Group of Washington DC provided the Committee with a detailed explanation of the impact the bill would have on the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Rhode Island state senator Gayle Goldin testified in opposition.
