[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 34 (Friday, February 28, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E285]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 28, 2014

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the voice 
of 184,995 workers in my state that will be positively affected by the 
minimum wage increase--nearly 20% of my state's total workforce.
  Families and parents are struggling financially because we have 
failed to keep up with the rising costs of living.
  The Economic Policy Institute found that ``at the current federal 
minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, a parent who works full time, year 
round, [still] does not earn enough to be above the federal poverty 
line.''
  For these Americans, working hard year round will not be a gateway to 
gradual success, because in their realities, it does not even mean that 
you will be above the federal poverty line.
  For these parents, our very own constituents, the pursuit of 
happiness, the American dream, and ultimately being able to mobilize 
economically is but a faint light forever out of reach.
  In 2009, we raised the minimum wage in order to keep up with the 
rising costs of living thereby admitting that an irresponsible minimum 
wage causes financial hardship for the families that we are elected to 
represent.
  People, we have a track record for making the impossible possible for 
Americans, so, now, I speak on behalf of those families in need when I 
say that we have a responsibility as public servants to see to it that 
a parent who works full time, year round, can live above the poverty 
line.
  It is our moral obligation to see to it that our families earning 
minimum wage can have the means to economic mobility. Thus, we as 
legislators should rise to this challenge in order to ensure that all 
Americans have not only the opportunity to pursue their happiness--but 
that they also have the means to achieving success.