[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 26 (Thursday, February 9, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H1470]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1020
                     RAISE THE FEDERAL MINIMUM WAGE

  (Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the 
President's initiative to raise the Federal minimum wage. This is an 
initiative that will benefit millions of American workers throughout 
the Nation.
  The President's proposal for a moderate 90 cent increase in 2 years 
is needed since workers at the minimum wage level have actually seen 
their real incomes decrease in the last decades. For example, in 1968, 
the minimum wage was the equivalent of about $6.30 per hour in 1994 
dollars.
  Real wages and the purchasing power of millions of families have 
become stagnant. We must maintain the incentives that reward hard work. 
The minimum wage is one such incentive.
  When I was Governor of Puerto Rico, I took the bold and unprecedented 
step of asking the Federal Government to extend minimum wage laws to 
Puerto Rico, where at the time they did not apply. Special interests 
and many corporations complained and objected to the move. They lobbied 
hard against it predicting economic havoc and job displacement.
  Such bleak scenarios did not materialize. In fact, the minimum wage 
has been a blessing for the 3.7 million American citizens of Puerto 
Rico. It raised the standard of living of thousands of working class 
families, took tens of thousands of working families out of welfare and 
brought added dignity to their daily endeavors at their job sites.
  Both sides of the aisle should seek every instrument to promote and 
assure a decent standard of living for all Americans. The President's 
move is a wise one, based on solid economic policy and common sense.
  I urge our colleagues to support raising the minimum wage to $5.15 an 
hour over the next 2 years, it is the right thing to do. Millions of 
hard working Americans who deserve better economic opportunities will 
appreciate our leadership.


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