Despite the fact that the Bush Administration's new overtime rules went in to effect on August 23, the last chapter on that book hasn't been written. In early September the U.S. House of Representatives added an amendment to a Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill that provides that no category of worker eligible for overtime pay under the old rules-including hourly-paid RNs-would lose that right. A week later the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to block the overtime pay rules in its version of the bill. President Bush, however, has threatened to veto the entire bill if Congress doesn't back down on the overtime issue.

The ANA believes that the lack of clear language in the new rules may open the door for employer attempts to reclassify nurses as exempt from overtime protections historically given to U.S. workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Reclassification attempts might lead to further erosion of nurses' working conditions-through the increased use of forced overtime-and a worsening of the nursing shortage.

The ANA is also assessing the impact of the new rules by asking for feedback from RNs. To register a comment or concern, e-mail [email protected] or contact Chris Donnellan, associate director of ANA's Government Affairs department, at (301) 628-5088 or [email protected].

For more information on the overtime issue, go to http://www.nursingworld.org, click on "Nursing Issues/Programs," "Government Affairs," and then "Federal Advocacy."