[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 23, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E966-E969]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           RAISE THE WAGE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                     HON. ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 18, 2019

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the 
following letters in support of H.R. 582, Raise the Wage Act: 
International Brotherhood of Teamsters; National Urban League; 
Disability Coalition; Health Care Groups; Interreligious Working Group 
on Domestic Human Needs; First Focus Campaign for Children; Network 
Lobby for Catholic Social Justice; Americans for Democratic Action; and 
National Employment Lawyers Association.

                                         International Brotherhood


                                                 of Teamsters,

                                                    July 16, 2019.
     U.S. House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative: This week, the House of 
     Representatives will take up H.R. 582, the Raise the Wage Act 
     of 2019. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters urges you 
     to vote for H.R. 582.
       Income inequality is on an alarming trajectory and 
     continues to rise unabated. Neither record-breaking corporate 
     profits nor increased productivity have reversed or slowed 
     this trend. This is not the kind of economy we should be 
     building. The Raise the Wage Act is essential to bringing 
     some measure or fairness and justice to workers who toil at 
     the lower-end of the wage scale. It is an important step we 
     can take to address growing pay inequality. An increase in 
     the federal minimum wage, which has not increased since 2009, 
     is long overdue.
       H.R. 582 would raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to 
     $15.00 per hour by 2024. It would increase the minimum wage 
     to $8.55 this year, with increases over the subsequent six 
     years. After 2024, the minimum wage would be indexed to 
     median wage growth to ensure that its value does not erode.
       Finally, the bill would remedy an egregious situation that 
     has gone on for far too long. The bill would phase out the 
     subminimum wage for tipped workers, which has been frozen at 
     a paltry $2.13 per hour for more than 20 years. And, it would 
     end the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities 
     employed in sheltered workshops and for workers under age 20.
       No one who works hard and plays by the rules should live in 
     poverty. Much is said about valuing work, and about 
     respecting work. If we truly value work, if we truly respect 
     work, the House will pass H.R. 582, the Raise the Wage Act of 
     2019.
       Again, the Teamsters Union urges a yes vote on H.R. 582.
           Sincerely,
                                                   James P. Hoffa,
                                                General President.
                                  ____
                                  


                                             National Urban League


                                            Washington Bureau,

                                                    July 15, 2019.
       Dear Representative: As President and CEO of the National 
     Urban League, I am writing to express our strong support for 
     immediate passage of the Raise the Wage Act of 2019 (H.R. 
     582). Raising the minimum wage to $15/hour is a key provision 
     of the National Urban League's Main Street Marshall Plan, a 
     bold and comprehensive plan for lifting urban communities out 
     of poverty and stimulating their economic growth.
       The National Urban League has been in every fight to raise 
     the minimum wage. While the road from poverty to plenty is 
     long, raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15/hour 
     is an important and long overdue first step in lifting 
     millions of families out of poverty and giving them a chance 
     at a better life. No one--absolutely no one-who works full 
     time should ever live in poverty. Yet, according to the 
     Economic Policy Institute (EPI), one in nine U.S. workers are 
     paid wages that can leave them in poverty, even when working 
     full-time and year-round. Raising the minimum wage to $15 
     would have a major impact on people of color. According to 
     research, 38.1 percent of Black workers and 33.4 percent of 
     Hispanic workers would get a raise if the federal minimum 
     wage were increased to $15.
       We applaud the Raise the Wage Act of 2019 because it is a 
     comprehensive minimum wage bill that would positively impact 
     workers on different levels. H.R. 582 would:
       Gradually raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 
     over the next six years to

[[Page E967]]

     lift millions of workers out of poverty, stimulate local 
     economies, and restore the value of minimum wage;
       Index future increases in the federal minimum wage to 
     median wage growth to ensure the value of minimum wage does 
     not once again erode over time;
       Guarantee tipped workers are paid at least the full federal 
     minimum wage by repealing the subminimum wage for tipped 
     workers, which will ensure consistent, livable pay;
       Guarantee teen workers are paid at least the full federal 
     minimum wage by repealing the rarely used subminimum wage for 
     youth workers; and
       End subminimum wage certificates for individuals with 
     disabilities to provide opportunities for individuals with 
     disabilities to be competitively employed, taxpaying citizens 
     and participate more fully in their communities.
       Putting more money in the pockets of working Americans who 
     will reinvest in our economy on things like groceries and 
     housing will boost the economy from the bottom up and create 
     real and sustainable job growth.
       The federal minimum wage has not been increased since 2009. 
     A decade is more than enough time for our nation's leaders to 
     right this unjustifiable inequity. Let's get this done now. 
     It's time for Congress to do the right--and smart--thing by 
     working Americans. The National Urban League looks forward to 
     working with you to get the Raise the Wage Act of 2019 
     enacted into law this year.
           Sincerely,

                                               Marc H. Morial,

                                                President and CEO,
     National Urban League.
                                  ____

                                         CPSD, National Disability


                                               Rights Network,

                                                    July 11, 2019.
       Dear Representative: The undersigned organizations 
     understand that the Raise the Wage Act of 2019 will soon come 
     up for a vote before the full House. We unequivocally believe 
     that any minimum wage bill must include ALL people, including 
     people with disabilities. We strongly support the inclusion 
     of the phase out of subminimum wages to people with 
     disabilities, currently legal under Section 14(c) of the Fair 
     Labor Standards Act (FLSA), in the Raise the Wage Act and 
     urge you to vote against any amendments that would leave 
     people with disabilities out of this important bill.
       Employment of people with disabilities has long been a bi-
     partisan national goal. The Workforce Innovation and 
     Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 established as a priority 
     competitive integrated employment, where people with 
     disabilities work in mainstream jobs alongside, and are paid 
     comparable wages to, co-workers without disabilities. WIOA 
     furthers the goal of the Americans with Disabilities Act 
     (ADA) to advance the economic self-sufficiency of people with 
     disabilities.
       Yet, despite the clear national priority for competitive 
     integrated employment, nearly 230,000 people with 
     disabilities are legally paid sub-minimum wages under Section 
     14(c) of FLSA, largely in settings where they are segregated 
     from their nondisabled peers and broader society. The 
     subminimum wage creates and reinforces a life of poverty and 
     dependency on public support. In hearings before this 
     Congress, expert witnesses have testified that ending 
     subminimum wages is a civil rights issue and that phasing out 
     Section 14(c) is a critical component of any federal minimum 
     wage bill.
       As the Congressionally-created federal Advisory Committee 
     on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for 
     Individuals with Disabilities (``the Committee'') described 
     in its report to Congress and the Labor Secretary:
       [There is an] underlying need to amend Section 14(c) of the 
     FLSA so that it reflects and aligns with modern federal 
     disability policy and laws, which are based on the assumption 
     that all individuals with disabilities are capable of, and 
     have a right to, [competitive integrated employment]. The 
     current widespread practice of paying workers subminimum 
     wages, based on assumptions that people with disabilities 
     cannot work in typical jobs, or on assumptions about the 
     unavailability of alternative work opportunities, is 
     antithetical to the intent of modern federal policy and law.
       The National Council on Disability, an independent federal 
     agency charged with advising the President, Congress, and 
     other federal agencies regarding policies that impact people 
     with disabilities, has repeatedly called for the elimination 
     of sub-minimum wages under Section 14(c), including in its 
     recent report, ``National Disability Employment Policy, From 
     the New Deal to the Real Deal: Joining the Industries of the 
     Future.''
       The inclusion of the 14(c) phase out in the Raise the Wage 
     Act sends a clear message to the public that it is no longer 
     acceptable to pay individuals with disabilities less than the 
     minimum wage. The undersigned organizations stress again the 
     necessity that the Raise the Wage Act of 2019 retain the 
     phase out of the use of 14(c) certificates and bring an end 
     to this blatantly discriminatory practice which allows for 
     the payment of subminimum wages to people with disabilities.
           Sincerely,
       American Association of People with Disabilities, 
     Association of People Supporting Employment First, 
     Association of University Centers on Disabilities, Autistic 
     Self Advocacy Network, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, 
     Center for Public Representation, Collaboration to Promote 
     Self Determination, Disability Rights Education and Defense 
     Fund.
       National Association of Councils on Developmental 
     Disabilities, National Association for Rights Protection and 
     Advocacy, National Council on Independent Living, National 
     Disability Institute, National Disability Rights Network, 
     National Down Syndrome Congress, National Organization on 
     Disability, TASH.
                                  ____

                                                     July 3, 2019.
       Dear Representative Scott: The undersigned organizations 
     are writing to express our support for the Raise the Wage Act 
     of 2019 (H.R. 582). The Act would raise the federal minimum 
     wage from $7.25 to $15.00 an hour over a six-year period, 
     after which the minimum wage would be indexed to median 
     wages. Our organizations believe that raising the federal 
     minimum wage will significantly contribute to improving 
     quality of care and quality of life for nursing home 
     residents across the country.
       According to the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute 
     (PHI), nursing assistants earn a median wage of $12.84 an 
     hour and a median income of $21,200 a year. Nursing 
     assistants' inflation-adjusted wages have only increased six 
     cents in the past 10 years, meaning that ``while goods and 
     services increased in price, the purchasing power of nursing 
     assistant wages did not meaningfully increase in the past 
     decade.'' Since nursing assistants (37 percent) rely on some 
     form of public assistance, federal and state governments 
     subsidize the nursing home industry by compensating for their 
     workers' low wages. Unfortunately, the data suggest that a 
     profession in caring for the country's most vulnerable 
     individuals may lead to poverty.
       Given the hardships involved with being a direct care 
     worker, it is not surprising to learn that these positions 
     cannot compete with less demanding and higher paying jobs, 
     such as those in the fast food and retail industries. This 
     strain on the nursing home workforce is supported by a 
     recently published study in The Gerontologist, which 
     indicates that periods of low unemployment (like the one the 
     country is currently experiencing) result in nursing home 
     workers looking for jobs outside of the industry. The report 
     finds that high unemployment makes nursing home work more 
     attractive and leads to better care for nursing home 
     residents, noting that a 5.6 percentage point increase in the 
     unemployment rate decreases deficiencies and would result in 
     lower rates of pressure ulcers, physical restraints use, and 
     weight loss.
       Economic recessions should not dictate whether residents 
     have access to quality of care and quality of life. The 
     federal Nursing Home Reform Law requires every facility to 
     provide services that allow residents to attain or maintain 
     their ``highest practicable physical, mental, and 
     psychosocial well-being.'' Unfortunately, as the study above 
     highlights, low wages continue to place residents at risk of 
     experiencing higher rates of harm. A 2015 report by the 
     Keystone Research Center further adds that high rates of 
     staff turnover, most often attributed to low wages, disrupt 
     staff-resident relationships and cause ``the loss of a 
     valuable source of information about resident well-being.''' 
     As one nursing home worker explains in the report, ``the work 
     is just too hard for such low pay . . . many are either ready 
     to walk away from the work or are thinking hard about doing 
     so . . . Raising my wage to $15 would . . . really change the 
     way I think about my job.''
       Improving the experiences of nursing home workers is 
     critical in light of the growing need for direct care workers 
     in the coming years. PHI reports that, ``by 2050, the 
     population of adults aged 65 and above--who comprise 83 
     percent of the nursing home resident population--is expected 
     to nearly double, from 47.8 million (in 2015) to 88 million'' 
     Additionally, the number of adults 85 years old and above (40 
     percent of residents) ''is expected to more than triple over 
     the same period from 6.3 million to 19 million.'' Continuing 
     to pay our direct care workers low, uncompetitive wages for 
     physically and emotionally difficult jobs will only place 
     greater strain on resident care.
       Our organizations thank you for taking this step to 
     increase the federal minimum wage and making it easier for 
     nursing home workers to provide care to our nation's most 
     vulnerable individuals. The Raise the Wage Act gives both 
     nursing home workers and residents the hope of a better life.
           Sincerely,
       Center for Medicare Advocacy, Justice in Aging, Long Term 
     Care Community Coalition, National Association of Social 
     Workers, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), The 
     National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, Women's 
     Institute for a Secure Retirement.
                                  ____

         DHN Interreligious Working Group on Domestic Human Needs,
                                                    June 28, 2019.
       Dear Member of the House of Representatives: The 
     undersigned faith-based advocacy and religious organizations 
     urge House leadership and members to advance the Raise the 
     Wage Act of 2019 (H.R. 582) without further delay. The bill 
     passed through committee months ago and is languishing as 
     desperate workers wait for relief. We are deeply concerned 
     about the plight of

[[Page E968]]

     our sisters and brothers who work hard but are still 
     struggling to make ends meet. Inflation and rising prices 
     have made the financial squeeze on low-wage workers 
     unbearable. This bill offers a partial remedy to those in 
     most desperate need. Its urgency warrants full consideration 
     by the chamber without further delay. It is time for members 
     to demonstrate that the financial security of workers is a 
     priority in the House.
       We come from a variety of faith perspectives, but our moral 
     principles and faith traditions all affirm the need to 
     promote human dignity by prioritizing vulnerable communities 
     and individuals in need. Our faith traditions teach us that 
     justice requires that every worker earn enough to provide a 
     standard of living in accordance with their God-given 
     dignity. The current federal minimum wage of $7.25/hour and 
     $2.10/hour for tipped workers is woefully insufficient and 
     has remained stagnant for the longest period in the history 
     of our nation. This disregard is a shameful statement of 
     neglect for those most in need in our society.
       Passage of the Raise the Wage Act of 2019 would demonstrate 
     to these workers relegated to a life of poverty that they 
     are, in fact, valued as individuals and as members of 
     society. The provisions of the Raise the Wage Act take 
     substantive steps to ensure people earn wages that are enough 
     to support themselves. Moving towards a universal wage floor 
     of $15 an hour is on-par with historical minimum wage rates 
     and responds to the real cost of living everywhere in the 
     nation. Phasing out the outdated subminimum wage for tipped 
     workers, workers under the age of 20, and those with 
     disabilities is just and is long overdue. Moreover, an 
     annually adjusted minimum wage based on the nation's median 
     hourly wages would curtail the growing pay inequality between 
     the lowest-paid workers and the middle-class.
       Our families and our economy have been increasingly 
     burdened by wage stagnation and income inequality. The Raise 
     the Wage Act of 2019 would immediately lighten this burden by 
     gradually raising the wage floor to broadly impact those at 
     the bottom of the workforce. According to policy experts, 
     more than 1 in 4 workers would be impacted by this 
     legislation, 90 percent of whom are over the age of 20. 
     Estimates project that low-income earners would make an 
     additional $3,000 a year, on average, for those working year-
     round. The difference that makes for a preschool teacher, 
     bank teller, or fast-food worker who struggles to get by on 
     around $20,000 per year would be remarkable. The Raise the 
     Wage Act will particularly benefit women and people of color, 
     who are disproportionately represented among low-wage 
     workers. Additionally, this legislation corrects the harmful 
     and exploitative practice of under-paying individuals with 
     disabilities by recognizing the value of their work and 
     paying them accordingly.
       The time for the Raise the Wage Act. is long overdue. Just 
     this month, we marked the shameful milestone of the longest 
     period in U.S. history without a federal minimum wage 
     increase. Justice cannot wait; and neither can Americans who 
     labor every day with insufficient pay. The faith community 
     calls on Leadership to schedule a floor vote on this 
     important piece of legislation immediately. We also urge 
     members of the House of Representatives to pass the Raise the 
     Wage Act free of any degrading amendments which would 
     undermine the law's benefits for poor workers.
           Sincerely,
       American Friends Service Committee; Bread for the World; 
     Church World Service; Central Conference of American Rabbis; 
     Conference of Superiors of Men (Catholic); Congregation of 
     Our Lady of the Good Shepherd, US Provinces; Daughters of 
     Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louise Province; 
     Disciples Center for Public Witness (Disciples of Christ); 
     Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries; Ecumenical 
     Poverty Initiative.
       Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Faith in Public 
     Life; Franciscan Action Network; Friends Committee on 
     National Legislation; Interfaith Worker Justice; Jesuit 
     Conference--Office of Justice and Ecology; Jewish Council for 
     Public Affairs; Leadership Conference of Women Religious; 
     Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate; National Advocacy 
     Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.
       National Council of Churches; National Council of Jewish 
     Women; NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice; Pax Christi 
     USA; Poligon Education Fund; Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); 
     The United Methodist Church--General Board of Church and 
     Society; Union for Reform Judaism; Unitarian Universalist 
     Association; United Church of Christ Justice and Witness 
     Ministries; Women of Reform Judaism.
                                  ____

                                                       First Focus


                                        Campaign for Children,

                                                    July 12, 2019.
     Hon. Robert ``Bobby'' Scott,
     U.S. House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. Mark Pocan,
     U.S. House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. Stephanie Murphy,
     U.S. House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Scott, Congressman Pocan, and Congresswoman 
     Murphy: On behalf of First Focus Campaign for Children, a 
     bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making children 
     and families the priority in federal policy and budget 
     decisions, I would like to express our support for the Raise 
     the Wage Act of 2019 (H.R. 582) and urge all members of the 
     House of Representatives to vote yes in support of this 
     legislation.
       As an organization committed to ensuring the economic 
     security of children and families in the United States, we 
     applaud efforts to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 
     2024. Nationwide, 17.5 percent of children are living in 
     families with incomes below the poverty line. At its current 
     rate, a parent making minimum wage and working full-time 
     cannot earn enough to pay market rent or lift his or her 
     family out of poverty. Children in the U.S. are 
     disproportionately affected by these low wages, and are 62 
     percent more likely to live in poverty than adults.
       A recent landmark study from the National Academy of 
     Sciences confirms that raising the federal minimum wage 
     decreases child poverty. Written by a nonpartisan committee 
     of the nation's leading experts on child poverty, A Roadmap 
     to Reducing Child Poverty finds that income poverty directly 
     causes negative outcomes to child well-being, yet when yet 
     when a poor household receives additional income, such as 
     from an increase to the minimum wage, parents and guardians 
     are enabled to provide resources that have long-term positive 
     impacts on a child's health and economic contributions.
       According to the Economic Policy Institute, the new wage 
     proposed would give higher pay to 41 million workers, 28 
     percent of which have children to support. This would mean 
     the parents of over 11 million children would be empowered to 
     support their child's healthy development with critical 
     resources such as nutritious food, health care, adequate 
     shelter, warm clothing, and educational materials.
       Parents who live in a constant state of financial 
     instability and struggle to provide enough resources for 
     their children often suffer from stress, anxiety, and 
     depression, making it more difficult to respond to their 
     children's emotional needs. Increased income therefore 
     promotes financial stability, improves the physical and 
     mental health of children and families and in turn, reduces 
     child maltreatment rates.
       The Raise the Wage Act of 2019 is both an important step 
     towards improving economic stability for 11 million children 
     and a vital investment in the future of our country. We are 
     grateful for your leadership in making children and families 
     a legislative priority, and we look forward to working with 
     you on this and other proposals to improve the well-being of 
     children and youth.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Bruce Lesley,
     President
                                  ____

                                        Network Lobby For Catholic


                                               Social Justice,

                                                    July 15, 2019.
       Dear Representative: NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social 
     Justice urges a yes vote on H.R. 582, the Raise the Wage Act 
     of 2019. In the spirit of the Gospel, we promote a just 
     society which ensures that all people are able to live 
     dignified lives. Catholic Social Justice tells us that a just 
     wage is the central indicator and ``the most concrete means 
     of verifying justice'' within a fair, functioning, and 
     flourishing economic system. In 2019 in the richest nation in 
     the world, minimum wage workers are groaning and crying out 
     under their financial burdens.
       Surviving on $7.25 an hour anywhere in the country is a 
     bitter, harsh reality; supporting dependents or a family on 
     this wage is impossible. Workers who are one work accident, 
     job loss, or family illness away from economic disaster are 
     so vulnerable--and they are the backbone of our nation. There 
     is a covenant between labor and capital that is part of our 
     nation's history of progress: full time work should be enough 
     to keep families out of poverty. Today we find low wage 
     earners working 2 or even 3 jobs to make ends meet. It is 
     morally reprehensible that millions of people work full time, 
     yet are a paycheck away from acute poverty and homelessness. 
     Long and unpredictable hours with insufficient pay is a 
     bitter existence of hard service and anxiety. Congress must 
     finally prioritize these most vulnerable workers and 
     alleviate their suffering.
       NETWORK Lobby will be highlighting this week's floor votes 
     on HR 582 in our annual voting record. One of two outcomes 
     will take place: either the House will rally to pass an 
     increase in the minimum wage or it will fail to do so. This 
     vote will clearly reveal your solidarity with low-income 
     workers--a no vote or support of a Motion to Recommit (MTR) 
     is your denial of workers' dignity. Now is the time to 
     demonstrate that low wage workers have value and deserve 
     dignity in our national economic priorities. NETWORK Lobby 
     urges Congress to vote for the Raise the Wage Act of 2019 as 
     brought to the floor by Leadership and to vote NO on any MTR 
     that may be offered.
           Sincerely,
                                         Sister Quincy Howard, OP,
     NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice.
                                  ____



                              Americans for Democratic Action,

                                                    July 15, 2019.
     U.S. House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative: As Americans for Democratic Action, we 
     urge you to vote in favor of H.R. 582, the Raise the Wage 
     Act. The last time the Federal minimum wage increased was 
     July 24, 2009. Sunday, June 16th, marked the longest period 
     since the Federal minimum wage was instituted that it hasn't 
     been raised. It is with this in mind that a

[[Page E969]]

     new sense of urgency to change must be instilled.
       The Raise the Wage Act Would:
       Lift pay for tens of millions of workers and reverse 
     decades of growing pay inequality;
       Favor all low wage workers, only 10 percent of which being 
     teenagers and restaurant workers;
       Be particularly significant for workers of color, as 38 
     percent of African Americans and 33 percent of Latinos would 
     see a wage increase;
       Divert reliance on safety-net programs, which reduces 
     burden on the taxpayer;
       Raise wages for jobs considered to be middle class, 
     including nearly one third of manufacturing workers, one 
     fifth of construction workers, one sixth of educators, and 
     one forth of health care workers
       It is critical that you vote in favor the Raise the Wage 
     Act as it comes to the floor this week and reject any Motions 
     to Recommit. This legislation would provide numerous benefits 
     to the working people of America, which underscores the 
     importance of passing the bill as written. With wage 
     stagnation surpassing record levels, voting yes on the Raise 
     the Wage Act will provide long overdue relief to those who 
     work but struggle to make ends meet. Please vote yes to raise 
     the wage and improve the lives of millions of Americans.
           Sincerely,

                                                   Don Kusler,

                                                National Director,
     Americans for Democratic Action.
                                  ____

                                       National Employment Lawyers


                                                   Association

                                                    July 15, 2019.
       Dear Representative: On behalf of the National Employment 
     Lawyers Association (NELA), I am writing to express our 
     strong support for, and to urge you to vote in favor of, 
     passage of the Raise the Wage Act (H.R. 582). In order to 
     gain passage of the strongest bill possible, we ask that you 
     oppose any motion to recommit and any amendment that would 
     weaken this bill when the bill is brought to a vote on the 
     House floor.
       NELA advances workers' rights and serves lawyers who 
     advocate for equality and justice in the American workplace. 
     With members in every state, NELA is the country's largest 
     professional organization exclusively comprised of lawyers 
     who represent individual employees in employment 
     discrimination cases and other employment-related matters. 
     NELA and our 69 state and local affiliates have more than 
     4,000 members across our nation. Our members are private 
     civil rights lawyers whose clients suffer the practical 
     realities of an insufficient, inconsistent minimum wage.
       The Raise the Wage Act is long-overdue. If passed, it will 
     address the reality of stagnated wages and income inequality 
     brought about, in part, by an outdated federal minimum wage 
     that has not been raised in ten years. The current federal 
     minimum wage of $7.25/hr is worth 17% less than it was ten 
     years ago. For a full-time, year-round minimum wage worker, 
     this represents a loss of over $3,000 in annual earnings. If 
     passed, this much-needed bill would raise the federal minimum 
     wage to $8.55 this year and increase it over the next five 
     years until it reaches $15 an hour in 2024. The Raise the 
     Wage Act also includes common sense language to adjust the 
     minimum wage each year after 2024. It would phase out the 
     subminimum wage for tipped workers, which has been frozen at 
     a meager $2.13 since 1991, and sunset the ability of 
     employers to pay a subminimum wage to people with 
     disabilities and workers under the age of twenty.
       According to a recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) 
     Report, gradually raising the federal minimum wage will lift 
     pay for nearly 27.3 million workers by 2024 and reduce the 
     number of people living in poverty by 1.3 million. Nearly 
     half of the 1.3 million people who would be raised out of 
     poverty are children under the age of eighteen. The CBO study 
     concurs that the benefits of this legislation outweigh its 
     costs, and that passage of the bill will leave low-wage 
     workers and their families far better off than they are now. 
     This bill will bolster the middle class all across the 
     country. Many workers in sectors that are considered skilled, 
     such as early childhood education and health care, struggle 
     to survive on $15 per hour. Passage of a clean bill will lift 
     those across the bottom of the workforce.
       Tens of millions of workers in America currently cannot 
     afford basic living expenses for themselves and the families 
     they support. These same workers stock our grocery stores, 
     fulfill our online purchases, clean offices and homes, and 
     perform thousands of other jobs that make every aspect of the 
     lives of higher wage earners function. These workers are your 
     constituents, and they deserve a raise. We urge you to pass 
     the Raise the Wage Act now.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Terry O'Neill,
     Executive Director.

                          ____________________