[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 4 (Tuesday, January 9, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H126]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE

  (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the sad truth is 
that we have an epidemic of working poor in this country. These are 
Americans who work 40 to 60 hours a week and sometimes 7 days a week, 
yet can't afford the basic necessities. At $5.15 per hour, a full-time 
minimum wage worker makes less than $11,000 a year, which is less than 
most of us make in a month. These aren't just teenagers working part 
time. Most minimum-wage workers are actually hardworking disadvantaged 
adults. Each day these working poor are faced with the impossible 
decision of having to choose between food, clothing, shelter, medicine 
and utility bills. No American who works hard for a living should have 
to make those types of choices. We cannot continue to look away while 
hardworking Americans linger in poverty. This isn't just an economic 
issue, it is an ethical and moral issue.
  I commend the Democratic leadership for their dedication to this 
issue, and I urge my colleagues to support this raise for the millions 
of Americans who deserve it.

                          ____________________