[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 742]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        INCREASING MINIMUM WAGE

  (Ms. WATSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, as this session of Congress begins, one of 
the most important pieces of legislation is the one we have been 
discussing, and that is increasing the minimum wage. This bill is long 
overdue.
  During the first 100 hours, this Congress will vote to extend 
economic prosperity to 7.3 million Americans who have been left behind 
for far too long. It has been almost a decade since the Federal minimum 
wage has been increased. Today, a minimum wage worker is trying to make 
due on less than $11,000 a year. This is simply impossible; $5.15 an 
hour is simply not a fair and livable wage for hardworking Americans. 
In fact, the minimum wage is at its lowest purchasing level in over 50 
years.
  It is time Washington stands up for the little guy and gives more 
than 6 million workers a much-deserved pay raise.

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