[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 14, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RAISE MINIMUM WAGE
(Ms. HAHN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute.)
Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, the Federal minimum wage has remained the same
for 4 years and has failed to keep up with the cost of living.
According to the recently released Shriver Report, nearly two-thirds of
minimum wage workers are women, and 42 million American women either
live in poverty or are right on the brink of it. This is wrong. No one
who works hard at a full-time job to provide for their children and
family should be living in poverty.
Today, with one in five children in America still living in poverty,
we must act and pass the Fair Minimum Wage Act, which would increase
the Federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour for American workers over
the next 3 years. This modest increase would raise the wages of
approximately 30 million Americans and bring over 4.5 million people
above the poverty line. Increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour
will not only put more money into the pockets of those in need, but it
will infuse an additional $51 billion into our economy.
Mr. Speaker, this will not be a job killer; it actually will help to
create 140,000 new jobs. Our success as a Nation hinges on the success
of women. When women succeed, America succeeds.
____________________