“We want to get Washington out of the way of how you use your time,” Rep. Martha Roby said as she delivered this week’s official Republican Address, capping off a flurry of national attention as her bill, The Working Families Flexibility Act, made its way through the House.
The bill, which numerous legislators before Roby tried, but failed, to pass, would allow private-sector workers to receive paid time off or “comp time” for overtime hours worked.
For nearly thirty years, public-sector workers have been able to receive comp time for working overtime hours. However, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 prevents private-sector workers from enjoying the same benefit.
Under Roby’s bill, employers and employees could both voluntarily enter into an agreement, thereby removing a layer of government intrusion into the their lives. It retains all existing employee protections in current law, including the 40 hour work week and how overtime compensation is accrued.
The bill is part of the GOP’s larger rebranding effort that includes more outreach to women and working class voters.
“Endeavoring to rebrand their party, GOP elders do not want voters conjuring up names like Richard Mourdock and Todd Akin,” Real Clear Politics wrote last week. “They want you to think of Martha Roby.”
But for Roby specifically, it’s a part of her growth from freshman representative to effective legislator — one who can move the needle. And that’s a big deal for Alabama because, with 435 people in the House of Representatives, the number of people who can actually get something done is quite small.
Roby worked her bill hard.
“Martha started early building support on this bill,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor told Yellowhammer.
She dedicated a district work week to awareness of the bill, and it paid off. Before she returned to Washington the next week, she had already garnered positive press from numerous state and national media outlets including Yellowhammer, WSFA, the Montgomery Advertiser, AL.com, The Hill and USA Today.
“Alabama’s Second Congressional District is full of people with common sense, conservative values. I knew if could explain and sell the bill here, it would make explaining it to my colleagues in Congress a lot easier,” Roby said.
Once she made it back in D.C., Roby set out to navigate the legislative process.
In an effort to undercut opposition from labor unions, she brought two Alabamians to Washington, D.C. to testify in committee about the bill — a human resources professional from Huntsville and a bookkeeper from Montgomery.
Members of the House GOP leadership were impressed by her 1 hour 45 minute marathon appearance before the powerful House Rules Committee. She was confronted with opposition from labor union lackeys and took them head on.
Once the Working Families Flexibility Act reached the floor of the House, Roby drew cheers from her colleagues for her impassioned defense of the bill as Democrats moved to stop it from passing.
“Americans are tired of this game. They are tired of watching us fight each other while we should be fighting for them,” Roby said. “If it’s good enough for the federal government, it ought to be good enough for the private sector.”
The bill passed 223 to 204.
Majority Leader Cantor continued singing Roby’s praises. “She navigated the legislative process, out-hustled the opposition and finished strong. This is a commonsense, conservative bill, but not the easiest issue to explain sometimes. Martha nailed it. She stepped up and demonstrated what an effective lawmaker she is going to be for this Conference,” Cantor said.
Roby’s political operation appears to be on the rise as well.
Her campaign posted first quarter fundraising of $167,075.00 – leading the pack among Alabama House Republicans.
She recently established a “Grassroots Action Team,” which includes team captains across the Second Congressional District working to expand her reach at the grassroots level.
On the digital front, she’s seen her Twitter followers double from 2,800 a year ago to about 6,700 today and her Facebook likes grew from 2,800 to 5,400 over the same time period.
“Everyone has noticed Congressman Roby’s emergence on the legislative front, but the development of her political operation has been equally impressive,” NRCC Executive Director Liesl Hickey told Yellowhammer. “She posted a strong number for first quarter fundraising, invested in data and grown their grassroots political network. All things we love to see in political operations.”
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