H.R. 3499: Outdoor Recreational Outfitting and Guiding Act

This bill, known as the "Outdoor Recreational Outfitting and Guiding Act," proposes an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. The main purpose of the bill is to create an exemption for certain employees who work in outdoor recreational outfitting or guiding services from the standard requirements concerning minimum wage and maximum hours.

Exemption Criteria

Under this proposed legislation, employees who are primarily involved in outdoor recreational outfitting—including equipment rentals—or guiding services can be exempted from minimum wage and maximum hour regulations. To qualify for this exemption, the businesses that employ these workers must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• The business does not operate for more than seven months in any calendar year.
• The business had average receipts in any six months of the previous year that were not more than 33.33% of its average receipts for the remaining six months of that year.

Effective Date

The changes specified in this amendment would take effect starting from the workweeks beginning after the bill is enacted.

Potential Impact

The bill aims to provide flexibility for businesses in the outdoor recreation industry by allowing them to operate under different wage and hour standards than those typically mandated by federal law. This could enable such businesses to operate more sustainably, especially during peak seasons when they might have an influx of customers but operate for limited months each year.

Relevant Companies

None found.