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Matthew Haller, 202-662-0770
Jenna Weisbord, 202-662-0766
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@franchising411
IFA Responds to Appeal of Vacated DOL Companion Care Rule
WASHINGTON, May 7, 2015—International Franchise Association Executive Vice President of Government Relations & Public Policy Robert Cresanti today issued the following statement regarding this morning’s oral arguments in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit regarding a challenge to U.S. Department of Labor regulations on overtime for companion care workers:
“Today marks a key step in validating the companion care industry’s steadfast resistance to the Department of Labor’s regulatory overreach. The existing overtime exemption is crucial in maintaining access to quality, affordable care for seniors and the disabled. It has allowed many new franchise businesses to enter the market to meet the increasing demand to serve our aging population. We could not agree more with the District court, which ruled that the regulations are ‘yet another thinly-veiled effort to do through regulation what could not be done through legislation,’ and we thank the Home Care Association of America and the National Association for Home Care and Hospice for being our partners in this critical litigation.”
In December 2014, in response to a lawsuit brought by IFA and its coalition partners, the U.S. District Court vacated the new DOL regulations that effectively removed the overtime exemption for companion care workers in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). DOL appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
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About the International Franchise Association
Celebrating 55 years of excellence, education and advocacy, the International Franchise Association is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising and the more than 780,000 franchise establishments that support nearly 8.9 million direct jobs, $890 billion of economic output for the U.S. economy and 3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees and companies that support the industry in marketing, law, technology and business development.
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