SHERMAN, Texas (Legal Newsline) - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, along with Nevada Attorney General Paul Laxalt, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of 21 states, alleging the Obama administration's “overtime rule” is illegal.
According to the lawsuit, the overtime rule created by the U.S, Department of Labor doubles the salary threshold for a worker to be entitled to overtime. The effect, the states argue, will cause havoc among state and local governments, as well as private businesses, who will have to substantially increase their employment costs. This could lead to the elimination of services or a workforce reduction.
The states argue the Obama administration lacks the valid congressional authorization to enact the rule.
“Once again, President Obama is trying to unilaterally rewrite the law,” Paxton said in a statement. “And this time, it may lead to disastrous consequences for our economy. The numerous crippling federal regulations that the Obama administration has imposed on businesses in this country have been bad enough. But to pass a rule like this, all in service of a radical leftist political agenda, is inexcusable.”
The states joining Texas and Nevada in the lawsuit are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin.