Political Quotes

“the main points of this legislation are as follows. No. 1, it will exempt prison workers from the minimum wage provisions. No. 2, it will put an end to a cascade of lawsuits that our States have been faced with by prisoners demanding back wages. It enables the effective prison work and employment training programs that have been developed within many of our State corrections facilities to continue without the fear of these lawsuits. Mr. President, I am pleased to be able to cosponsor this legislation with my colleague, Senator Reid, who, during the last Congress and previously, has brought this issue so effectively to our attention. This legislation has engendered bipartisan support and today we are joined by Senators Mack, DeWine, Bryan and Dorgan in our efforts to correct the application of minimum wage to State prisons. This is an issue of national concern. Class action lawsuits by prisoners demanding backpay at minimum wage are entangling Federal courts in many sectors of the country. Florida alone has faced two such class action lawsuits in the last 24 months. In 1992, 18 States asked Congress for clarification of this issue. Today, 4 years later, we have yet to answer their call for help. It seems appropriate that we should address this issue in the very week that we have taken action to increase the minimum wage in the law. Many prisoners participate in job training and work programs which provide numerous benefits.…”