[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 51 (Friday, April 19, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E587]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE

                                 ______


                     HON. CARLOS A. ROMERO-BARCELO

                             of puerto rico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thusday, April 18, 1996

  Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the 
Democratic efforts to raise the Federal minimum wage.
  The proposal for a moderate 90-cent increase in 2 years is needed 
because workers at the minimum wage level have actually seen their real 
incomes decrease in the last decades. In 1979, the minimum wage was the 
equivalent of about $6 per hour in 1996 dollars.
  Real wages and the purchasing power of millions of families have 
become stagnant. We must support the incentives that reward hard work, 
such as a minimum wage.
  When I was Governor of Puerto Rico, I took the bold 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 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 them added dignity.
  Both sides of the aisle should seek to promote and assure a decent 
standard of living for all Americans. Raising the minimum wage is a 
wise move, 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. Millions of hard working Americans who 
deserve better economic opportunities will appreciate our leadership.

                          ____________________