51şÚÁĎ

The bipartisan buddy system is alive and well in the bistate area.

U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, and Richard Durbin, D-Illinois, are taking another crack at protecting workers whose employers have filed for bankruptcy.

Introduced last week, the bill is the pair’s second attempt at advancing the measure, which failed to pass out of Congress last year.

The proposal would allow workers and retirees from such companies to retain more of their wages, benefits and retirement savings.

More specifically, the bill would grant employees’ claims higher priority during bankruptcy proceedings and also place restrictions on golden parachutes for executives.

“Rather than giving precedence to the desires of predatory creditors, we should prioritize workers and protect the compensation they’ve earned through years of hard work,” Hawley said in a statement.

Durbin noted that the bill “would ensure that all employees, not just C-suite executives, receive the benefits they were promised.”