U.S. Dept. of Labor urges Otter to bring Idaho into compliance with home-care minimum wage rule

The U.S. Department of Labor is urging Idaho Gov. Butch Otter to act on a new rule that requires home-care employers to pay most home-care workers minimum wage and overtime. Several states already include home health care workers in minimum wage and overtime-pay protections, the Idaho Statesman reports, but Idaho is not one of them.

A federal rule that took effect in October of 2013 requires the change, though it’s been held up by court challenges; last month, a federal appeals court upheld it, writes Statesman reporter Audrey Dutton. Her full report is online here .

“Although the court’s opinion does not take effect immediately, and the timeline for issuance of the court’s mandate depends on various factors, I am writing to again encourage your state to thoughtfully prepare for compliance now,” U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez wrote in a letter to Otter.