[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 22503]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE

  (Ms. LEE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, with the holiday season in full swing, many 
American families are feeling the strain on their family finances. This 
is especially true for the millions of Americans who work full time for 
minimum wage and only earn about $10,700 a year. The minimum wage in 
this Nation is currently at its lowest level in 50 years when adjusted 
for inflation.
  Yet Republicans have continually refused to raise the pay of these 
full-time workers who struggle to make ends meet while facing a rapidly 
rising cost of living. An hourly wage of $5.15 an hour is simply not a 
fair living wage for anyone. Democrats have fought for years to raise 
the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, a move that would positively benefit 
7.3 million Americans. Madam Speaker, last month the American people 
showed their overwhelming support for this much-needed increase by 
voting for a Democratic majority in Congress and passing the minimum 
wage increase ballot initiatives in several States. Within the first 
100 hours of the next Congress, Democrats will pass this important and 
long overdue legislation. Let's raise the minimum wage now.

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