[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 9, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E369]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 932, THE WORK FOR REAL WAGES

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                           HON. PATSY T. MINK

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 9, 1999

  Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on a bill 
that I recently introduced, H.R. 932--the Work for Real Wages Act. H.R. 
932 requires that welfare recipients who perform unpaid work as a 
condition of receiving benefits be credited with wages for the purposes 
of calculating the Earned Income Tax Credit [EIC].
  It is extremely unfair to require work, not pay any wages for that 
work, and credit nothing toward Social Security, unemployment 
compensation, and other wage-based benefits programs.
  But this is exactly what is currently allowed under the new welfare 
reform law. States are able to enact workfare programs in which welfare 
recipients are forced to work off their welfare benefit, rather than 
receiving real wages.
  My bill corrects this problem by crediting the hours worked without 
direct compensation as though minimum wage were paid for the purpose of 
claiming earned income tax credits.
  If work is a virtue, then all work should be treated the same.
  I urge my colleagues to support my bill, H.R. 932, the Work for Real 
Wages Act.

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