Lynn C. Woolsey: “40 years ago, I was a single mother with three small children; and although I was employed, I was forced to go on…”

“40 years ago, I was a single mother with three small children; and although I was employed, I was forced to go on welfare. I know what it is like to try to get by on a paycheck that is not enough to meet ends. Like my experience, today there are many, many Americans who are working so hard who are earning the minimum wage who are still coming up short. And, Mr. Speaker, the majority of these Americans are women and most of them have children. They put in a full 40-hour work week. They still live below the poverty line. This is absolutely unacceptable, because in a prosperous Nation like ours it should be a violation of a person's civil rights not to provide adequate compensation for their work. Mr. Speaker, we must ensure that working people earn enough to care for themselves and their families. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2 and support the millions of working Americans who so desperately need a raise in the minimum wage.”