# 119-s-2228: Modern Worker Empowerment Act

119-s-2228, Modern Worker Empowerment Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Scott, Tim [R-SC] (R-SC); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-05-13).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2228
- As of: 2026-05-13
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-2228
- Congress: 119
- Title: Modern Worker Empowerment Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-07-09
- Sponsor: Sen. Scott, Tim [R-SC] (R-SC)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Labor and Employment
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-05-13

## Summary

**Would align the Fair Labor Standards Act's definition of "employee" with ordinary common-law tests.** It would also clarify that the act of permitting someone to work counts as "employ" by adding brief clarifying language to the statute. - Workers: Whether a person counts as an FLSA employee would be decided under the usual common-law rules, creating a single, familiar test for employee status. - Employers: The bill makes clear that allowing someone to work is part of "employ," giving employers a more explicit standard to evaluate who they treat as staff. - Courts and agencies: Judges and regulators would apply ordinary common-law factors when determining FLSA employee status, rather than a separate statutory test.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA] (R-LA), 2025-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND] (R-ND), 2026-05-11T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More workers counted as employees: benefit, medium. If enacted, this bill would change two short phrases in the federal pay law. It would tie the word employee to usual common-law rules and insert "an employee" after the word permit. If more people count as employees, they would be eligible for minimum wage and overtime. Employers could face higher…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026
- 119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act
- 119-s-2142: GOLDEN DOME Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-2228 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2228)

## Related
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4949)
- [119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-292)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-401)
- [119-s-2142: GOLDEN DOME Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2142)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2228 (as of 2026-05-13).