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S. 38: EMPLEO Act

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S. 38: EMPLEO Act

115th Congress · introduced 2017-01-05 · Labor and Employment · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2017-01-05 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

EMPLEO Act

Plain summary

Economic Mobility for Productive Livelihoods and Expanding Opportunity Act of 2017 or the EMPLEO Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to require every employer to pay to each of his or her eligible Puerto Rican employees who in any workweek are engaged in commerce and who receive qualified wage subsidy payments minimum wages of $5.00 an hour, determined without regard to those wage subsidy payments. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat certain employers who make qualified wage subsidy payments to eligible Puerto Rico employees as having paid payroll taxes in an amount equal to the wage subsidy payment. An “eligible Puerto Rico employee” is any individual who: (1) is a U.S. citizen, (2) has a Social Security number, and (3) certifies to the employer that he or she is a resident of Puerto Rico and intends to remain a resident for at least the next six months. A “qualified wage subsidy payment” is a payment equal to 50% of the excess (if any) of: (1) the median hourly wage for Puerto Rico ($10 for 2018 and 2019), over (2) the hourly wage paid to the eligible Puerto Rico employee. The bill sets forth reporting requirements for participating employers and requirements for determining the median hourly wage for Puerto Rico after 2019.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Arguments against (opponents)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Securities
Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong115-s38 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115