[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 239 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 239

  To increase the Federal minimum wage and to provide an alternative 
minimum wage as an incentive to an employer to provide health care and 
                          child care benefits.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 4, 2007

  Mrs. Wilson of New Mexico introduced the following bill; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To increase the Federal minimum wage and to provide an alternative 
minimum wage as an incentive to an employer to provide health care and 
                          child care benefits.

    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 ``Working Americans Growing the 
Economy (WAGE) Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. MINIMUM WAGE.

    (a) In General.--Section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 
(29 U.S.C. 206(a)) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
            ``(1) except as otherwise provided in this section, not 
        less than--
                    ``(A) $5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th day 
                after the date of enactment of the Working Americans 
                Growing the Economy (WAGE) Act of 2007;
                    ``(B) $6.55 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 
                60th day; and
                    ``(C) $7.25 an hour, beginning 24 months after that 
                60th day;''; and
                    (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (5) as 
                paragraphs (3) through (6), respectively and inserting 
                after paragraph (2) the following new paragraph:
            ``(2) if an employer provides to an employee health care 
        benefits or child care benefits totaling not less than $2,500 
        per year, the applicable minimum wage rate paid by such 
        employer to such employee shall be as follows:
                    ``(A) $5.15 an hour, beginning on the 60th day 
                after the date of enactment of the Working Americans 
                Growing the Economy (WAGE) Act of 2007;
                    ``(B) $5.55 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 
                60th day; and
                    ``(C) $6.25 an hour, beginning 24 months after that 
                60th day;''; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
    ``(c) For purposes of determining the minimum wage under paragraph 
(2) of subsection (a), the Secretary, not later than 60 days after the 
date of enactment of the Working Americans Growing the Economy (WAGE) 
Act of 2007, shall define the categories of health care benefits and 
child care benefits provided by an employer to an employee which shall 
qualify an employer to pay the wage rates specified in such paragraph, 
and shall establish a method for determining the value of such benefits 
provided. In defining the categories of health care benefits, the 
Secretary shall include contributions made by an employer to a health 
insurance plan.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
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