[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3590]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE

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                            HON. ALBIO SIRES

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 27, 2014

  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, raising the minimum wage is a critical step 
in closing the opportunity gap and building an economy that works for 
everyone. Yesterday, I joined my Democratic colleagues in filing a 
discharge petition for an immediate vote on H.R. 1010 to raise the 
minimum wage to $10.10, generating economic activity, creating jobs, 
and growing the middle class.
  By raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, we can restore 
fairness for working men and women across the country. Specifically it 
would raise wages for nearly 25 million people; increase pay and 
compensation by $35 billion for hardworking American families; and lift 
between 1 and 4.5 million Americans out of poverty.
  Americans deserve an economy where a hard days' work earns a decent 
day's pay. No hard working American should be forced to raise their 
family in poverty, but the low minimum wage currently allows for just 
that. An increase in the minimum wage is not only the moral thing to 
do, but it would also provide a much-needed boost to our economy. 
Simply put, when one earns more, one tends to spend more. More and more 
private businesses are voluntarily raising the minimum wage of their 
workers because they see the long-term economic benefits.
  It is my hope that Congress takes immediate and swift action in 
raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.

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