[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 23 (Monday, February 6, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H1268]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       THE MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Klug). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Jackson-Lee] is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE. Mr. Speaker, this Congress should affirm work more 
by our actions than our words.
  At the current minimum wage rate of $4.25 an hour, a full-time year-
round worker earns $8,500 per year. The President announced his plan 
last week to raise the minimum wage 45 cents a year over a 2-year 
period, bringing the wage to a $5.15 an hour rate by 1997. A 90-cent 
per hour increase in the minimum wage means an additional $1,800 per 
year in the worker's pay check--as much as the average family spends on 
groceries in over 7 months. Such increases are significant and should 
be implemented by this body without hesitation.
  Sixty percent of all minimum wage workers are women--most of whom are 
trying to raise a family as a single parent. People who work 40 hours a 
week, 52 weeks a year should not be living in poverty. When citizens 
take responsibility to work full-time, they should be able to raise a 
family on their wages. We have begun to take up the issue of welfare 
reform, but if we refuse to make work pay, how will our arguments be 
effective? Who can afford to listen?
  While considering these increases, I am cautious not to upset the 
balance between the needs of the workers and the economic means of the 
small business owners. I believe that small businesses are the backbone 
of this Nation and I would never want to move forward with a proposal 
that would severely paralyze productivity or adversely affect profit 
margins. I am confident, though, that raising the minimum wage will do 
no harm to either, because I believe we should carefully assess any 
other burdens proposed for such businesses so as not to burden them 
twice.
  Adjusted for inflation, the value of the minimum wage has fallen by 
nearly 50 cents since 1991, and is now 27 percent lower than it was in 
1979. We must bring these wages back up to a respectable level. We must 
reward hard work with fair wages. We must take pride in our workers' 
skills and empower them to be a contributing force in our Nation's 
growing economy. Prosperity should not be reserved for an elite few--it 
belongs to all of America's working-class.
  Let us keep this in mind when considering the arguments for and 
against increasing the minimum wage. We should not make this debate 
more difficult than it needs to be, because despite current posturing, 
increasing the minimum wage traditionally garners bipartisan support. 
Although President Bush did not support the measure, the 1989 vote to 
increase the minimum wage was passed 382 to 37 in the House and 89 to 9 
in the Senate. With Presidential support this round, I hope the numbers 
will continue to enjoy such company in this Congress. I urge my 
colleagues to join me in support of the proposal to raise the minimum 
wage.

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