[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 54 (Wednesday, April 24, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H3735-H3736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE

  (Mr. WYNN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WYNN. Mr. Speaker, good morning. The battle about the minimum 
wage rages on. Some people would have our colleagues believe that the 
minimum wage only affects kids, so we should not worry about it. Not 
true--10 million Americans are affected by the minimum wage. Some 75 
percent of them are adults and 58 percent of them are women.
  We need to increase the minimum wage. The minimum wage has not been 
increased in 5 years. The purchasing power of people who earn the 
minimum wage has decreased by 15 percent. We are talking about people 
who make about $8,400 a year operating under the current minimum wage.
  I am pleased to say today, Mr. Speaker, that there is some bipartisan 
support for increasing the minimum wage. I am distressed, however, that 
there are still some Republicans who believe that we should not 
increase the minimum wage and want to fight it.
  We do not need any convoluted bureaucratic plans to pay employers. 
What we need is a very simple solution: Raise the minimum wage.
  Mr. Speaker, if we raise the minimum wage, we will bring 300,000 
families out of poverty, we will bring 100,000 children out of poverty.
  Raise the minimum wage.

[[Page H3736]]



                  MINIMUM WAGE: MINIMUM OPPORTUNITIES

  (Mr. KNOLLENBERG asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Speaker, I really wonder if the President and 
the Democrats are truly interested in raising the minimum wage or is it 
just that they want to score some political points? When they 
controlled Congress back in 1992 and 1993 with President Clinton in the 
White House, why was not an increase in the minimum wage on the agenda? 
Maybe they were too busy raising taxes on gas, on Social Security, on 
small businesses.
  Mr. Speaker, I have to look at this comment that the President made 
in 1993. President Clinton said, ``The minimum wage,'' and I am 
quoting, ``The minimum wage is the wrong way to raise incomes of low-
wage earners.'' But then again, I guess we really cannot believe what 
the President says from day to day or time to time.
  By the way, if my colleagues think 90 cents an hour is going to save 
working families, I say my colleagues' priorities are in the wrong 
place. We need to provide tax relief to our families, not 90 cents an 
hour. Lowering taxes will raise incomes.

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