[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14501]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE AND HELPING WORKING AMERICANS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 10, 2014

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
millions of hardworking men and women in America today who are barely 
making ends meet, living paycheck to paycheck, and how this chamber can 
help our fellow Americans by raising the minimum wage.
  Last year the Census Bureau reported that over 10 million Americans 
work full-time and are still below the poverty line, about $24,000 for 
a family of four.
  In my home state of Texas, over 450,000 people are paid the minimum 
wage, more than any other state and account for nearly 8 percent of all 
working Texans.
  African-Americans and Hispanics are the most likely in our country to 
be among the working poor. Nearly 1-in-7 black and Hispanic Americans 
work full-time and live below the poverty line.
  Eight percent of all working women in our country, 5.5 million, are 
also among the working poor.
  Mr. Speaker, this is simply not right. We cannot allow our country to 
become a place where hard work is not valued and allow millions of our 
fellow Americans to continue to live in poverty despite their great 
efforts.
  This is why this chamber must bring H.R. 1010, the Fair Minimum Wage 
Act, for a floor vote before we go into recess.
  This legislation would raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an 
hour and index it to inflation afterwards.
  The House Majority has refused to bring this bill for a vote in spite 
of its overwhelming support among the American people. The current 
Congress' record of inaction and obstruction has undermined our 
economy's recovery and harmed American families.
  This is why I urge my colleagues to demand a vote before we recess 
for the November elections.

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