Burgess Owens: “On election day, Mr. Speaker, there was one message that was sent that seems to be ignored, one very positive message.…”

“On election day, Mr. Speaker, there was one message that was sent that seems to be ignored, one very positive message. Six States had on their agenda referendums on the minimum wage. They wanted to raise the minimum wage at the State level. In all six States those provisions passed. The voters have sent us a message. I think they spoke in those six States for the sentiment right across the entire Nation. People are a little upset about our refusal to govern here, our refusal to raise the Federal minimum wage above the present level of $5.25 an hour. They want to see action. They are taking action at the State level. And I think one of the things that we should do here, one of the first things we should do when we return in December, is vote to raise the minimum wage. We ought to send that positive message. While there are debates and speculations on a number of other things that the voters said to us, while there is a great deal of debate about redeployment, about a pull-out of troops in Iraq, while there are still people who want to accuse us of cutting and running; all those things will be happening for a while, but it is a simple matter that we have not raised the minimum wage in 9 years.”