[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 20228]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        INCREASE IN MINIMUM WAGE

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, as a senior member of the House Education 
and Labor Committee, I am proud that today many Americans will receive 
their first pay raise in a decade because the Fair Minimum Wage Act 
passed by the Democratic Congress goes into effect.
  These hardworking Americans, 40 percent of whom are minorities, will 
receive a 70-cents-per-hour raise today, which will be followed by two 
more 70-cent increases in July 2008 and July 2009. This will result in 
a total of $2.10 increase, or $4,400 a year. This boost in pay will 
make a significant difference in the lives of these American families 
who are trying to survive on a minimum wage that has reached its lowest 
effective level in more than half a century. It means more food on 
their tables, better health care for their families, and a shot at 
sending their children to college.
  Everyone who works full time should have the chance to achieve these 
pieces of the American Dream. And with this increase in minimum wage 
which begins today, they can.
  I am proud to be a part of the Democratic Congress that passed this 
long overdue pay raise for millions of hardworking Americans. I want to 
note that my home State of New Jersey led the way in an increase in 
minimum wage. Our minimum wage is already $7.15 an hour, and that rate 
was effective since October 2006.

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