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POWDER COATING, November 2016 3 Coating Thickness Material Analysis Microhardness Material Testing House attempts to stall overtime rule WASHINGTON, D.C.—With the Labor Department's controversial over- time rule set to be enacted in just one month, the US House of Representa- tives passed a bill intended to delay its start by six months. This is just the latest volley in the dispute over the rule that aims to increase wages for approxi- mately 4.2 million Americans. The "Regulatory Relief for Small Busi- nesses, Schools and Nonprofits Act" passed the House by a vote of 246 to 177 at the end of September. Rep. Tim Walberg (RMI), who introduced the legislation, said the overtime rule makes drastic changes that will result in harm- ful consequences for workers, small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and colleges and universities. Originally set to take effect December 1, the new overtime wage rule, which al- ters the Fair Labor Standards Act, would extend overtime protections to 4.2 million Americans who are not cur- rently eligible for them under federal law. Most significantly, the final rule raises the salary threshold indicating overtime eligibility from $455 per week ($23,660 per year) to $913 per week ($47,476 per year). The rule follows a March 13, 2014, Presidential Memo- randum directing the Labor Depart- ment to update the overtime standards. The House vote comes less than 10 days after officials from 21 states sued the Obama Administration, saying that the overtime rule would place a heavy bur- den on state budgets, force layoffs, and boost employment costs. The states, in- cluding Texas, Louisiana, and Nevada, asked the US District Court of Eastern District of Texas to block the rule and ultimately overturn it. Hours after the states announced their legal challenge, the Associated Builders and Contractors along with a coalition of other groups also filed a federal lawsuit in the same court seeking to overturn the rule. Construction is one of the major in- dustries where the new rule will have the biggest impact. The construction indus- try trade groups have also applauded the House's bill to delay its implementation. Overtime protections require employers to pay one-and-a-half times an em- ployee's regular rate of pay for any work past 40 hours a week. To comply with the new rule, employers can pay time- and-a-half for overtime work, raise workers' salaries above the new thresh- old ($134,004 per year), limit workers' hours to 40 hours per week, or do any combination of these. The department specifically notes that the FLSA's "duties test" was not modified. The test deter- mines whether white collar salaried workers earning more than the salary threshold are ineligible for overtime pay. Verdezyne wins green chemistry award CARLSBAD, Calif.—A component used in corrosion inhibitors and other kinds of paints, coatings, and sealants came up big as winner of this year's Pres- idential Green Chemistry Challenge Small Business Award. Verdezyne Inc., Carlsbad, Calif., was the recipient of the award in the 2016 Challenge, run by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The company was honored for its development of Biolon DDDA, a bio- based chemical used in molding resins, adhesives, and paints and coatings. DDDA (dodecanedioic acid) is a dicar- boxylic acid, previously produced from butadiene, a flammable, toxic gas that's a known carcinogen. New develop- ments have allowed DDDA to be pro- duced using yeast instead. Verdezyne developed a way to make Biolon from low-cost, plant-oil sourced feedstocks. The company says the substance can be used in formulating epoxy resins, pow- der coatings, and corrosion inhibitors in a d d i t i o n t o h i g h - p e r f o r m a n c e polyamides and synthetic lubricants. For 21 years, the US Environmental Pro- tection Agency (EPA) has annually rec- ognized landmark green chemistry tech- nologies developed by industrial pio- neers and leading scientists that turn cli- mate risk and other environmental prob- lems into business opportunities, spurring innovation and economic de- velopment. An independent panel of technical experts convened by the Amer- ican Chemical Society Green Chemistry UPDATE:Industry