Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla., wants Congress to work a full, 40-hour work week like many other people do, instead of letting Congress work three or four days a week.
Jolly proposed a resolution Thursday that would change House rules to require that the House “shall be in session at least 40 hours each week other than a week that is designated as a district work period.”
Members started calling their weeks back home “district work periods” several years ago, and most now prefer that term over “recess.”
Jolly’s rule would allow members to be off for federal holidays, but it would still require them to be in session “at least 8 hours per day for the remaining days of such week.”
“A work week in Washington should be no different than a work week in every other town across the nation,” Jolly said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “Americans expect their leaders to govern. Look at all the bills gathering dust, let’s give voice to the people on issues like border security, transportation, and a budget that finally balances.”
His rule would mean a substantial increase in the number of hours and days that members put in on Capitol Hill. In 2015, members of the House are scheduled to be in the Capitol for 133 days, and while some of those days will be longer than eight hours, some will be much shorter.
In comparison, a private sector worker who gets to stay home for federal holidays and has two weeks of paid vacation will work around 240 days in 2015, nearly twice the number of days the House will be in.
The Senate is scheduled to spend many more days at work in 2015 than the House, part of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s plan to have the Senate start working more. But that plan came undone earlier in the year, and while the Senate is scheduled for work most Mondays and Fridays this year, the Senate is largely not in on those days.
For example, the Senate is scheduled to be in Friday, October 2, but it is out. Late Thursday, McConnell adjourned the Senate and said it would not return until 4 p.m. Monday.
In September, Jolly wrote a letter asking the House Rules Committee to make the change to a 40-hour workweek, and said that move would show voters that Congress is committed to working on issues like debt reduction, national security and border enforcement. He also said sessions should start at 8 a.m. and end at 6 p.m.
“Simply put, a work week is a work week,” he wrote. “Our efforts should reflect those of every other working American.”
Read Jolly’s resolution here:
