[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 54 (Wednesday, April 24, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S4008]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            THE MINIMUM WAGE

  Mr. KENNEDY. I thank the Chair. Mr. President, in just a few moments 
we are going to return to the immigration bill. We have orders for 
votes on various amendments. Then, hopefully, we will have the 
legislation that will be open for amendment. I intend at the earliest 
possible time to offer an amendment on increasing the minimum wage. I 
would be more than glad to enter into a time limitation so that our 
side would have 30 minutes and the other side would have 30 minutes. It 
seems to me that the 13 million families that will be affected by the 
minimum wage are entitled to have at least 30 minutes of the U.S. 
Senate's time in order to make their case before the U.S. Senate, and 
it seems to me that they are entitled to a decision by the U.S. Senate 
as to whether we are going to provide some economic justice and decency 
for those Americans who have been left out and left behind on the lower 
rung of the economic ladder--who are working hard, trying to provide 
for their families, and still existing in poverty.
  Mr. President, I think the urgency for offering that amendment is 
just emphasized once again by what the leader in the House of 
Representatives talked about just yesterday, that he, Mr. Armey, as the 
House majority leader, has indicated his continued opposition to the 
increase in the minimum wage. What he is basically talking about is a 
brand new entitlement program, the elimination of the earned income tax 
credit, which is a lifeline to working families, particularly working 
families with children. All of us understand that the earned income tax 
credit, which Ronald Reagan himself said was the best poverty program, 
provides help and assistance for working families with children. The 
minimum wage makes a difference for those families. For the individual 
or couple who does not have children, the increase in the minimum wage 
makes the greatest difference to them.
  But what Mr. Armey is talking about is the elimination of the earned 
income tax credit. He says we will develop a program. Who will run it? 
The IRS, the Internal Revenue Service. They are going to be the ones 
who run a new entitlement program.
  Now, Mr. President, he says this will save $15 billion. You know 
where that $15 billion is going to come from? It will come from those 
who benefit from the earned income tax credit, who are the neediest 
working families in this country.
  The increase in the minimum wage will provide $3.7 billion a year to 
these families. So, in effect, what he is saying is we will take the 
earned income tax credit away from those families, we will put in the 
Internal Revenue Code a subsidy program, and the subsidy program, which 
will be paid for by Federal taxpayers, generally will be contributed to 
by other workers.
  Mr. President, it is about time we had a clear vote and a clean vote 
on the increase in the minimum wage. We have a bipartisan group here in 
the U.S. Senate, Republicans and Democrats alike, who have supported 
the increase in the minimum wage. We are going to take the first 
opportunity that presents itself, after the disposition of these votes, 
to offer that with a time limit so the American people will be able to 
find out who is on their side.
  I would hope that we would be able to work that out as a matter of 
comity, but we are going to continue to press that issue as we move 
through with this legislation and other legislation until we have an 
opportunity to speak for those 13 million families that are, today, 
being left out and left behind.
  There is no excuse for the majority leader not to schedule this 
program. We would not need to offer this amendment if we were given a 
reasonable time to debate this on a clean bill and do it at any time of 
the day or evening that the majority leader wants to do it.
  Let us have at least an opportunity to speak to this issue. Mr. 
Majority Leader, do not deny us economic justice for working families.
  Mr. LOTT. Noticing that the manager of the bill is not on the floor 
yet, I ask unanimous consent that the time for morning business be 
extended for 10 minutes so I may address some comments to the ones just 
made and speak briefly about this bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Santorum). The Senator from Massachusetts.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Reserving the right to object, I will not object as long 
as my friend and colleague will somehow be recognized during 
consideration of morning business.
  Mr. DORGAN. Parliamentary inquiry. My understanding was that morning 
business was already extended 10 minutes by the unanimous consent, 
agreed to by the Senator from Iowa, Senator Grassley. If that is the 
case, the Senator from Mississippi is asking the 10 minutes be added to 
that time?
  Mr. HATCH. Will the Senator yield?
  Mr. LOTT. I am happy to yield to the Senator. First, Mr. President, 
is that correct, it had already been extended?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning business closes at 10:10.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I was supposed to be accorded 15 minutes 
for my remarks. I have to make these remarks this morning. I appreciate 
if it could be extended. I was on the list. Could I follow the 
distinguished Senator from Mississippi?
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, if I could inquire of the Chair, does the 
distinguished Senator from North Dakota desire time also?
  Mr. DORGAN. Yes.
  Mr. LOTT. How much time is he interested in?
  Mr. DORGAN. Eight minutes.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the time for 
morning business be extended until 10:30.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. HATCH. Could it be in this order: the distinguished Senator from 
Mississippi, then the Senator from Utah, then the Senator from North 
Dakota?
  Mr. LOTT. I modify the unanimous consent to that effect.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. LOTT. Thank you, Mr. President. I thank my colleagues for working 
with us as we get that worked out.

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