The Department of Labor is reminding employers that new rules governing overtime eligibility are still in effect and the department will continue to educate employers about them, despite efforts in Congress to block the new regulations.

Alfred B. Robinson, Jr., acting administrator for the Wage and Hour Division, the agency that enforces the overtime regulations in the U.S. Department of Labor, released the following statement.

"The Department's new Overtime Security rules remain in effect, despite congressional efforts to prevent funding for enforcement efforts," says Robinson. "These rules guarantee and strengthen overtime protections for millions of workers including workers earning less than $23,660 annually, police, fire fighters, other first responders, hourly workers, blue collar workers, and workers under a collective bargaining agreement. We will continue to ensure that overtime protections remain in place so that workers know their rights and employers know their responsibilities."

The department also released a public service announcement on the new overtime rules, which went into effect August 23.

The House has approved legislation that would block funding for enforcement of the new rules. The legislation, which was attached to another piece of legislation, would allow a change that raised the salary threshold below which workers automatically qualify for overtime.

Meanwhile, a Senate panel has approved legislation that would block enforcement. In 2003, the Senate approved similar legislation, but that measure was dropped during House-Senate negotiations. With Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress, a similar fate could befall the latest legislation.

In addition, President Bush has threatened to veto any legislation that would block the new rules.