H.R. 10323 introduced, titled the Thirty-Two-Hour Workweek Act.

In a major push to modernize labor standards, Representative Mark Takano, alongside Senator Bernie Sanders, officially introduced H.R. 10323, titled the Thirty-Two-Hour Workweek Act.

Introduced on September 8 and referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, the bill seeks to amend the landmark Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 by gradually lowering the federal standard workweek threshold from 40 hours down to 32 hours without reducing worker pay.

Under the proposed framework, overtime protections would trigger significantly earlier for American workers. Employers would be required to pay overtime compensation at a rate of at least one and one-half times the regular pay rate for any work performed beyond 32 hours in a single workweek. Additionally, the legislation introduces daily overtime safeguards, mandating time-and-a-half pay for workdays lasting between eight and twelve hours, and double the regular pay rate for any hours worked beyond twelve in a single day.

To prevent economic disruption and provide businesses sufficient time to adjust, the transition for newly covered employees unfolds across a four-year phased schedule starting 180 days after enactment. In the first year, the overtime threshold drops to 38 hours per week, followed by 36 hours in the second year, 34 hours in the third year, and ultimately reaching the full 32-hour standard following the third year. To safeguard employee paychecks during this transition, the Act explicitly prohibits employers from reducing regular pay rates, overall compensation rates, or employee benefit packages as a result of the newly established hourly thresholds.