HB240, titled the Protect Local Farms Act, would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to limit state overtime rules for agricultural workers. Specifically, it would add a federal preemption provision stating that the Fair Labor Standards Act would override any state law that sets a maximum workweek for employees in agriculture at less than 60 hours. In practical terms, the bill would prevent states from requiring overtime protections for farm employees once they work more than 60 hours in a week, if those state rules are more protective than the federal baseline created by the bill.
The measure is framed as a farm-relief and labor-cost bill, and it would change the relationship between federal and state labor law by narrowing states’ ability to set stricter overtime standards for agricultural employment. It would affect agricultural employers, farm laborers, and state labor regulators in states that currently have lower overtime thresholds for farm work. Because the bill amends Section 18 of the FLSA, it would create an express federal preemption rule for this specific category of state wage-and-hour law.
Impact
If enacted, HB240 would amend 29 U.S.C. 218 in the Fair Labor Standards Act to expressly preempt state laws that require a maximum workweek for agricultural employees of fewer than 60 hours. This would reduce the ability of states to impose more protective overtime standards on farms and would likely preserve longer workweeks for agricultural employers in states with existing or proposed farm overtime laws. The bill would primarily affect agricultural employers, farmworkers, and state labor enforcement agencies, while leaving other FLSA provisions unchanged.
Sentiment
The available record shows the bill was introduced and referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce, with no recorded committee transcript or vote history provided. Based on the bill’s title and sponsors, the measure appears to be supported by members concerned about protecting local farms and limiting labor-cost burdens on agricultural businesses. Because no debate or vote data is available, there is no documented broader legislative sentiment in the provided materials beyond the bill’s pro-agriculture framing.
Contention
The central point of contention is the bill’s preemption of state overtime protections for agricultural workers. Supporters are likely to argue that a uniform federal standard and a 60-hour threshold are needed to reduce costs and help farms remain competitive, while opponents would likely view the bill as weakening worker protections and overriding states that have chosen to provide more generous overtime rights. The dispute is therefore between agricultural employers and their allies on one side, and labor advocates, farmworker advocates, and states with stronger overtime laws on the other.