[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 203 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

  1st Session
                                 S. 203

 To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the Federal 
   minimum wage, to establish a Commission to conduct a study on the 
    indexation of the Federal minimum wage, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

             January 11 (legislative day, January 10), 1995

 Mr. Kennedy (for himself and Mr. Wellstone) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Labor and 
                            Human Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the Federal 
   minimum wage, to establish a Commission to conduct a study on the 
    indexation of the Federal minimum wage, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``American Family Fair Minimum Wage 
Act of 1995''.

SEC. 2. MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE.

    Paragraph (1) of section 6(a) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 
1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(1) except as otherwise provided in this section not less 
        than--
                    ``(A) $4.25 an hour during the period ending on 
                August 31, 1995;
                    ``(B) $4.75 an hour during the year beginning on 
                September 1, 1995;
                    ``(C) $5.25 an hour during the year beginning 
                September 1, 1996; and
                    ``(D) $5.75 an hour during the year beginning 
                September 1, 1997;''.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION ON THE MINIMUM WAGE.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a commission to be known 
as the Commission on the Minimum Wage (hereafter in this Act referred 
to as the ``Commission'').
    (b) Membership.--The Commission shall be composed of 9 members to 
be appointed not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act as follows:
            (1) Three members shall be appointed by the Secretary of 
        Labor.
            (2) Three members shall be appointed by the Secretary of 
        Commerce.
            (3) Three members shall be appointed by the Secretary of 
        Health and Human Services.
    (c) Duties of the Commission.--
            (1)  Study.--The Commission shall conduct a study of, and 
        make recommendations to Congress on--
                    (A) means to restore the minimum wage to the level 
                relative to the average hourly wage that existed when 
                the Congress adjusted the minimum wage during the 
                period 1950 through 1980; and
                    (B) means to maintain such level with minimum 
                disruption to the general economy through regular and 
                periodic adjustments to the minimum wage rate.
            (2) Report.--Not later than September 1, 1997, the 
        Commission shall prepare and submit a report to the appropriate 
        committees of Congress that shall include the findings of the 
        Commission and the recommendations described in paragraph (1).
    (d) Compensation of members.--
            (1) Pay.--The members of the Commission shall serve without 
        compensation.
            (2) Travel expenses.--The members of the Commission shall 
        be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
        subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies 
        under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 
        Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business 
        in the performance of services for the Commission.
    (e) Termination of the Commission.--The Commission shall terminate 
30 days after the date on which the Commissions submits the report 
under subsection (c)(2).
    (f) Applicability of the Federal Advisory Committee Act.--Except as 
provided in subsections (d) and (e), the provisions of the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act shall apply to the Commission.
                                 <all>