This week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., unveiled a proposal to protect entry level workers “from non-compete agreements which limit their employment opportunities, and restrict their ability to negotiate higher wages and benefits.”

On Tuesday, Rubio showcased the “Freedom to Compete Act” which, his team noted, “would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to prevent employers from using non-compete agreements in employment contracts for certain non-exempt employees.”

“Non-compete agreements that arbitrarily restrict entry-level, low-wage workers from pursuing better employment opportunities are egregious and outdated in the twenty-first century American economy,” Rubio said. “My bill would empower these workers by preventing employers from using non-compete agreements in employment contracts. I hope my colleagues will join me in passing this bill so we can enhance the upward mobility of our low-wage American workers.”

“The Freedom to Compete Act would: apply only to employees who do not qualify for the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime exemption for bona fide executive, administrative, professional and outside sales employees; prohibit an employer from enforcing, or threatening to enforce, a non-compete agreement with a non-exempt employee; prohibit an employer from entering into, extending, or renewing a non-compete agreement with a non-exempt employee; and be enforced by the Department of Labor under the existing FLSA framework for minimum wage and overtime violations,” Rubio’s office noted.

The bill was sent to the U.S. Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Tuesday. So far, Rubio has not been able to reel in any cosponsors. There is no counterpart to the bill over in the U.S. House.

Kevin Derby can be reached at Kevin.Derby@floridadaily.com.