[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 102 (Thursday, July 11, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H7266]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         AMERICA NEEDS A RAISE

  (Mr. VENTO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, I will not get into a seance with my friend 
from Georgia, but some good news that did come through from the Senate 
this week was the passage of the minimum wage bill.
  That is right, in spite of the Republican leadership's concerted 
effort in the House and Senate to set the agenda and to add a poison 
pill to the minimum wage, the American public's will is being reflected 
in the other body and in this House.
  Unfortunately, the antics and tricks to try and stop the minimum 
wage, the 90-cent increase for those that are making $4.25 an hour 
today, is still in motion. They are threatening, in fact, to tie it up 
and hold it to other bills, to in fact try and put in place tax breaks 
that will dig the deficit hole deeper in this country and deny low-
income workers, mostly, I might say, adults, and very often, too often, 
women, the opportunity to get a fair wage, a living wage.
  Mr. Speaker, America needs a raise, and they need this Congress to 
respond fair and equitably. At the same time we are cutting all the 
social programs, we have to let people earn their way and get a fair 
wage in our economy.

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