110 HR 4637 IH: Living American Wage (LAW) Act of U.S. House of Representatives 2007-12-13 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I 110th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4637 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 13, 2007 Mr. Al Green of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide for the calculation of the minimum wage based on the Federal poverty threshold for a family of 3, as determined by the Census Bureau.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Living American Wage (LAW) Act of 2007.

2.

Findings; sense of Congress

(a)

Findings

Congress finds the following: (1)In 2007, there are 37,000,000 Americans living in poverty who are separated from the opportunities of the Nation by their income, their housing, and their access to education, jobs, and health care. (2)A full-time worker earning the Federal minimum wage earns an income below the Federal poverty threshold for a family of 3, consisting of 2 adults, and 1 child. (3)A full-time worker earning the Federal minimum wage earns an income below the average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment. (4)Two full-time workers earning the Federal minimum wage earn an income below the national housing wage, the amount a person needs to earn to afford a 2-bedroom apartment at average rent. (b)

Sense of Congress

It is the sense of Congress that— (1)the Federal minimum wage should, as a minimum, be adjusted every 4 years so that a person working for such a wage may earn an annual income that is not less than 5 percent higher than the Federal poverty threshold for a family of 3, as determined by the Census Bureau; (2)the minimum wage should be set at a level high enough to allow 2 full-time minimum wage workers to earn an income above the national housing wage; and (3)Congress or any of the several States may establish a higher minimum wage requirement than that established in this Act.

3.

Minimum wage

Section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 is amended— (1)by amending subsection (a)(1) to read as follows: (1)except as otherwise provided in this section— (A)$5.85 an hour beginning July 24, 2007; (B)not less than $6.55 an hour beginning July 24, 2008; (C)not less than $7.25 an hour beginning July 24, 2009; and (D)not less than the amount determined by the Secretary under subsection (b) beginning September 1, 2008; ; and (2)by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c) and inserting after subsection (a) the following: (b)(1)Not later than June 1, 2008, and once every 4 years thereafter, the Secretary shall determine the minimum wage rate applicable under subsection (a)(1) based on the formula described in paragraph (2). The Secretary shall publish such wage rate in the Federal Register not later than October 1 of each year. If such determination results in a lower minimum wage than that then in effect, the Secretary shall not adjust the minimum wage then in effect pursuant to this subsection. (2)The minimum wage rate determined by the Secretary under paragraph (1) shall be the minimum hourly wage sufficient for a person working for such wage 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year, to earn an annual income in an amount that is 5 percent higher than the Federal poverty threshold for a 3-person household, with one person a child under age 18, and living in the 48 contiguous States, as published for each such year by the Census Bureau. .