[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 7, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H1288-H1289]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                 IN SUPPORT OF RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 1995, the gentleman from New Mexico [Mr. Richardson] is 
recognized during morning business for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I am here to commend President Clinton 
for initiating the minimum wage increase, 45 cents for this next year 
and 45 cents for the next.
  It is interesting to note that this morning in USA Today, America's 
newspaper, 77 percent of all Americans approve of this measure. We 
cannot 
 [[Page H1289]] allow hard-working Americans to work full-time and not 
make enough money to pull themselves out of poverty. Eleven million 
Americans in this country rely on the minimum wage to support 
themselves and their families. Sixty-four percent of all minimum wage 
workers are adults with families to feed and rent payments to make.
  Today the average minimum wage worker brings home about half of his 
or her household's weekly earnings. Let me tell you about a family who 
lives in Clovis, NM, who shared their monthly budget with me. They are 
a married couple with a 4-year-old son. They both work 40 hours a week 
at minimum wage jobs. They pay $450 a month for child care, $70 dollars 
for utilities, $435 for a two-bedroom apartment, $110 for a car 
payment, $45 for car insurance.
  After fixed costs, they have just under $300 a month left to pay for 
gas, clothes, groceries, and health care. If their little boy gets an 
ear infection and goes to the doctor, they must feed their family on 
$35 a week. if their car break down, they feed and clothe their family 
on $20 a week.
  This family is not alone. Just in my own congressional district, over 
30,000 people get up and go to work every morning to earn a wage that, 
at the end of a full week, will not even bring them above the poverty 
level and the ranks of the working poor in our country are growing.
  The economy is good. The unemployment rate is at its lowest level in 
years. The help wanted index is climbing. Yet some hard-working 
Americans are just not making it.
  If left unchanged, by next year the minimum wage will be the lowest 
point in 40 years. If you are tired of seeing the welfare rolls grow, 
then let us make work pay. If someone cannot earn enough money working 
40 hours a week to feed their family, then we are forcing them into the 
welfare office. We are telling them it is more profitable to collect 
than to work.
  Do not be fooled by the argument that a modest increase in minimum 
wage eliminates jobs. Over a dozen recent economic studies have found 
that modest minimum wage has had an insignificant effect on 
unemployment levels and has boosted total worker income. Nine states 
currently have minimum wage levels higher than the Federal minimum 
wage, and in these States, increasing the minimum wage did not 
eliminate jobs.
  A December Wall Street Journal poll found 75 percent of Americans 
support raising the minimum wage. To my colleagues, I say the message 
is clear, minimum wage earners can no longer make it on their salaries, 
11 million Americans would get a pay raise if the minimum wage is 
increased to $5.15 an hour. A 90 cent per hour increase in the minimum 
wage means an additional $1,800 for a minimum wage earner who works 
full-time year around.
  This is as much as the average American family spends on groceries 
over 9 months.
  Five years ago this body voted to increase the minimum wage by a vote 
of 382 to 37. The large majority of Americans support it. It is time to 
raise the minimum wage.


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