Lloyd Bentsen: “I rise in support of raising the national minimum wage by $1.00 over two years. The Traficant amendment to H.R. 3846…”

“I rise in support of raising the national minimum wage by $1.00 over two years. The Traficant amendment to H.R. 3846 accomplishes this goal. American workers need relief and three years is simply not soon enough. The Democratic measure increases the minimum wage to $6.15 by September 1, 2000. Some context is needed for considering this amendment. In 1998, approximately 4.4 million wage and salary workers, paid on an hourly basis, earned at or below $5.15 per hour. Today's minimum wage has 21% less purchasing power that it had in 1979. According to a recent study by the Economic Policy Institute, some 10.3 million American workers stand to benefit from a new increase in the minimum wage. Forty percent of minimum wage earners are the sole breadwinners in their families. The Democratic proposal is patently more responsive than H.R. 3846 to the needs of America's workers and should be passed by this body. I support raising the minimum wage because I believe it will help ensure work pays more than welfare and assists lower-income families struggling to make ends meet. Mr. Chairman, lets really think about what this really means for American families. Minimum wage workers play a pivotal role in today's economy--caring for our parents and grandparents in their homes, and for our children in daycare. Under current law, a single mother of two, employed full-time, 40 hours per week for 52 weeks, earns $10,712, $3,200 below the poverty line.”