An additional 60 days was given to the Justice Department to respond to a court order that delayed an Obama administration rule to expand employee eligibility for overtime compensation.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted additional time to the department, which filed the request Feb. 22 and has until May 1 to file a brief in the case (Nevada v. DOL, 5th Cir., No. 16-41606, extension granted 2/22/17).

The rule, which would double the salary threshold to be considered exempt from overtime to $47,476 and was to take effect Dec. 1, was put on hold Nov. 22 by federal district court in Texas. Under the rule, a worker earning less than the threshold would qualify for overtime pay at time and one-half the worker’s regular rate. READ MORE