In both versions of the FY 2005 Labor-HHS spending bill, the House and Senate approved amendments intended to block the White House from implementing new and harmful overtime rules. Those amendments, sponsored by Rep. David Obey (D-WI) and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), would have reinstated old overtime eligibility rules for some workers, and were seen as a major victory for labor.

Although the amendments were successfully passed in October, a conference committee deleted the language from the bill during last week's lame-duck session because the White House threatened to veto the entire omnibus spending package if it included such amendments. Read more about overtime rules and the economic effects of changing them in a briefing paper from the Economic Policy Institute.

While it can be considered a theoretical victory that both Houses supported the amendments, it is a significant loss that they were ultimately stripped from the spending bill. However, when the appropriations process is reduced to Congress passing most of the bills through an omnibus, it is not surprising important policy amendments do not receive the attention they deserve. For more on this, read this Washington Post article.