[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 506 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 506

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in support of 
 considering legislation that would reinforce the goals of the working 
                            families agenda.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 29, 2015

Mr. Scott of Virginia (for himself, Ms. DeLauro, Ms. Edwards, Ms. Linda 
T. Sanchez of California, Ms. Judy Chu of California, Mr. Ellison, Mr. 
 Grijalva, Ms. Frankel of Florida, Ms. Matsui, Ms. Wilson of Florida, 
     Mr. Nadler, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Polis, Ms. Clark of 
 Massachusetts, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Courtney, Mrs. Davis of California, 
Mr. DeSaulnier, Ms. Fudge, Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. Jeffries, Mr. Sablan, Mr. 
 Takano, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Gutierrez, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Lee, Mrs. 
 Kirkpatrick, Mr. Grayson, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. McDermott, Ms. Schakowsky, 
 Ms. Norton, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Meeks, Mr. Delaney, Mr. Tonko, Mrs. 
  Bustos, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. Danny K. 
 Davis of Illinois, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Payne, Ms. Clarke of New York, 
  Mr. Honda, Mr. Fattah, Mrs. Lawrence, Mr. Langevin, Mrs. Carolyn B. 
Maloney of New York, Ms. Tsongas, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Deutch, Ms. Brown of 
  Florida, Ms. Loretta Sanchez of California, Ms. Hahn, Ms. Sewell of 
    Alabama, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, Mr. Takai, Mr. Quigley, Mr. 
McGovern, Ms. Adams, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Gene Green of Texas, Mr. Lewis, 
Mr. Garamendi, Mr. Cardenas, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Serrano, Mrs. Napolitano, 
    Mr. Cohen, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. 
   Hastings, Mr. Brendan F. Boyle of Pennsylvania, Mr. Cummings, Mr. 
   Pallone, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, Ms. Meng, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of 
 Texas, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Sires, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Smith of Washington, 
   Mr. Veasey, Ms. Pingree, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Richmond, Mr. 
Blumenauer, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Mr. Kilmer, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Castro 
of Texas, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mr. Engel, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, 
Mr. Kildee, Mr. Rangel, Ms. Duckworth, Miss Rice of New York, Mr. Price 
 of North Carolina, Mr. Clay, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. Farr, Ms. 
   Wasserman Schultz, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Higgins, Mrs. Beatty, and Mr. 
Norcross) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
   Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the 
   Committees on Ways and Means, House Administration, Oversight and 
 Government Reform, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in support of 
 considering legislation that would reinforce the goals of the working 
                            families agenda.

Whereas too many Americans are struggling to make ends meet and Congress has the 
        power to enact responsible policies that would boost wages so 
        hardworking Americans can live a better life;
Whereas full-time, year-round work at the minimum wage leaves a family of 3 
        below the Federal poverty line;
Whereas the buying power of the minimum wage erodes over time--and in 2014, the 
        Federal minimum wage of $7.25 was worth nearly 10 percent less than when 
        it was last raised in 2009, after adjusting for inflation;
Whereas raising the minimum wage to $12 by 2020 would directly or indirectly 
        lift wages for 35,100,000 workers--more than 1 in 4 United States 
        workers--89 percent of whom are over the age of 20;
Whereas a 2000 study commissioned by the Department of Labor found that up to 30 
        percent of firms misclassify their employees as independent contractors;
Whereas misclassified workers are excluded from employer-provided health and 
        pension plans, denied the right to unionize, and deprived of overtime, 
        minimum wage, employment discrimination, and health and safety 
        protections that are guaranteed to employees;
Whereas employers who misclassify their workers fail to pay required payroll 
        taxes, thereby shifting unemployment taxes and workers' compensation 
        premiums onto law-abiding businesses;
Whereas nonunion workers earn, on average, $207 less per week than unionized 
        workers and workers who do not belong to a union are far less likely to 
        have access to paid sick leave, fair scheduling, paid medical and 
        retirement benefits, life insurance, and paid holidays as their union 
        counterparts;
Whereas an analysis of illegal employer conduct during union organizing 
        campaigns found that 47 percent of employers threaten cuts in benefits 
        or wages if their employees join the union, 57 percent threaten to close 
        the facility, and 34 percent fire at least one employee in retaliation 
        for organizing but the penalties for employer interference with 
        organizing are only nominal;
Whereas strengthening protections for organizing will allow workers to 
        collectively bargain for higher wages and better working conditions;
Whereas workplace policies make it difficult for millions of Americans to both 
        provide for and care for their families, and Congress has the power to 
        enact responsible policies that would help achieve a better balance 
        between work and family life;
Whereas in more than 60 percent of households with children all adults are 
        working, women make up 40 percent of primary breadwinners in households 
        with children, and men are increasingly more involved in raising 
        children;
Whereas nearly 17 percent of workers have unstable shift schedules--a 
        disproportionate number of whom are workers of color--and roughly half 
        of low-wage workers report very little or no control over the timing of 
        the hours they are scheduled to work;
Whereas 41 percent of workers who are ages 26 through 32 in hourly jobs report 
        getting their work schedules a week or less in advance;
Whereas ensuring that workers have flexible, predictable, and stable schedules 
        is critical to workers' ability to plan their lives--including arranging 
        child care or elder care, holding down a second job, going to school, or 
        addressing their own serious health conditions;
Whereas more than 43,000,000 people don't have a single paid sick day to recover 
        from common, short-term illnesses, less than two-thirds of workers in 
        the private sector have access to paid sick leave and only 30 percent of 
        workers in the bottom quarter of the earnings distribution have access 
        to paid sick leave;
Whereas providing all workers with sick days would reduce medical costs by 
        $1,100,000,000 and save public health programs $500,000,000 annually;
Whereas only 13 percent of the workforce has paid family leave through an 
        employer, less than 40 percent has personal medical leave through an 
        employer-provided disability program, and only 5 percent of workers in 
        the bottom quarter of the earnings distribution have access to paid 
        family and medical leave;
Whereas the implementation of a nationwide family leave proposal would mean 
        economic security for working Americans and their families, improved 
        health outcomes for families and children, increased labor force 
        attachment for women, better bottom lines for business and a stronger 
        national economy;
Whereas decades of research shows that access to high-quality child care and 
        early education experiences benefits all children, particularly low-
        income children;
Whereas high-quality child care and early education can build a strong 
        foundation for young children's healthy development and ensure that 
        children thrive, and quality preschool leads to a wide range of short- 
        and long-term benefits, including better educational outcomes, higher 
        earnings, and lower crime and delinquency rates and support for quality 
        preschool programs could help deliver these benefits to children 
        nationwide;
Whereas discrimination remains an all too persistent barrier to workers' ability 
        to succeed and Congress has the power to level the playing field by 
        enacting responsible policies that would strengthen protections from 
        discrimination;
Whereas more than 5 decades after the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, 
        women overall working full-time, year-round are paid an overall average 
        of 79 cents for every dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic men, Asian-
        American women working full-time, year-round are paid 84 cents, African-
        American women working full-time, year-round are paid 61 cents, Native 
        American women working full-time, year-round are paid 59 cents, and 
        Hispanic women working full-time, year-round are paid 55 cents compared 
        to White, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas the wage gap costs women and mothers who are employed full-time in the 
        United States, as a group, more than $490,000,000,000 every year and 
        results in a loss of over $400,000 over a woman's lifetime;
Whereas putting the remedies for violations of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 on par 
        with the remedies for violations of other civil rights laws and 
        prohibiting employers from retaliating against workers for discussing 
        their pay would help women fight back against pay discrimination;
Whereas two-thirds of first-time mothers are working but all too often women are 
        denied minor adjustments at work needed to continue working safely 
        during pregnancy like carrying a water bottle, staying off high ladders, 
        or sitting on a stool during a very long shift;
Whereas pregnant women who have been denied accommodations have been forced off 
        the job during pregnancy at the moment when they can least afford it--
        when they have a new mouth to feed;
Whereas establishing an unmistakably clear legal right to job accommodations for 
        pregnant workers would allow women who need accommodations to have 
        healthy pregnancies and provide for their growing families;
Whereas 31 States lack full nondiscrimination protections for workers based on 
        their sexual orientation and gender identity, meaning that workers may 
        have no recourse if they are fired based solely on sexual orientation or 
        gender identity;
Whereas lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals working in States 
        lacking full nondiscrimination protections for workers are more likely 
        to report household incomes below $24,000 than such individuals working 
        in States with such protections; and
Whereas making unmistakably clear that Federal law prohibits discrimination 
        against workers based on their sexual orientation or gender identity 
        would help ensure that these workers' jobs are not in jeopardy: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) workers are in need of responsible policy solutions 
        that will help them make a better life for themselves and their 
        families;
            (2) a working families agenda is established to--
                    (A) boost wages by raising the minimum wage, 
                strengthening workers' right to organize, and 
                protecting workers from misclassification;
                    (B) achieve a better balance between work and 
                family by providing workers with paid sick days, paid 
                family leave, and flexible, predictable, and stable 
                schedules while also ensuring that workers have access 
                to high-quality early learning opportunities and 
                affordable child care; and
                    (C) level the playing field by strengthening the 
                law guaranteeing equal pay for equal work, ensuring 
                that pregnant workers have an unmistakably clear right 
                to reasonable accommodations when they need them to 
                continue working safely during pregnancy, and ensure 
                that workers have explicit protections from 
                discrimination based on their sexual orientation and 
                gender identity; and
            (3) to show support for working families hearings and votes 
        should be held on--
                    (A) H.R. 2150, the Raise the Wage Act;
                    (B) H.R. 3514, the Workplace Action for a Growing 
                Economy Act;
                    (C) H.R. 3427, the Payroll Fraud Prevention Act of 
                2015;
                    (D) H.R. 3071, the Schedules that Work Act;
                    (E) H.R. 932, the Healthy Families Act;
                    (F) H.R. 1439, the Family and Medical Insurance 
                Leave Act (FAMILY Act);
                    (G) H.R. 2411, the Strong Start for America's 
                Children Act of 2015;
                    (H) H.R. 2654, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act;
                    (I) H.R. 1619, the Paycheck Fairness Act; and
                    (J) H.R. 3185, the Equality Act.
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