Federal law strips away state farm-worker overtime protections

What it does

This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to allow federal law to override state laws that set a maximum workweek for agricultural employees below 60 hours. In effect, it prevents states from requiring overtime pay for farm workers who work more than 40–50 hours per week if a state's own law is stricter than the 60-hour federal floor this bill establishes.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is a federal preemption of state labor law. It strips away state-level overtime protections for farm workers, replacing them with a weaker federal floor. This is functionally a deregulation of agricultural labor standards, even though the title frames it as protecting local farms.

What the text implies

• The 60-hour workweek threshold is significantly higher than the federal 40-hour standard that triggers overtime for most workers. Agricultural workers would be exempt from overtime pay until they exceed 60 hours, a 50% higher bar than the general workforce.
• States like California, which have stricter agricultural overtime rules, would be preempted. This eliminates a key competitive/regulatory difference between states and centralizes labor standards downward.
• Agricultural workers are already among the lowest-paid and most vulnerable workers in the U.S., with limited union representation. Preempting state protections removes a critical avenue for worker advocacy at the state level.
• The bill does not address whether the 60-hour threshold applies to all agricultural work or only certain categories, creating potential ambiguity in enforcement.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Agricultural workers in states with overtime protections stricter than 60 hours per week lose those protections. The bill reduces labor standards for a vulnerable workforce, shifting the balance away from worker protections toward employer flexibility.

Who stands to gain

• agricultural employers and farm operations
• large-scale farming corporations

Named in the bill

Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, Section 18 FLSA, agricultural employees, state legislatures

Where it stands

3 cosponsors: 3 Republicans.

• Jan 7, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jan 7, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Education and Workforce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.