LAS VEGAS — A coalition of 21 states sued the U.S. Department of Labor on Tuesday over a new rule making about 4 million higher-earning workers eligible for overtime pay, slamming the measure as inappropriate federal overreach from the Obama Administration.
Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, a Republican, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Eastern Texas, urging it to block implementation before the regulation takes effect Dec. 1. Laxalt, a frequent critic of President Barack Obama’s policies, said the rule would burden private and public sectors by straining budgets and forcing layoffs or cuts in working hours.
“This rule, pushed by distant bureaucrats in D.C., tramples on state and local government budgets, forcing states to shift money from other important programs to balance their budgets, including programs intended to protect the very families that purportedly benefit from such federal overreach,” he said.
Labor Department officials did not immediately respond to telephone and emailed requests seeking comment.
The measure would shrink the “white-collar exemption” that exempts workers who perform “executive, administrative or professional” duties from overtime and minimum wage requirements.