On the recordMarch 26, 2015
Frankly, I don't quite understand this amendment. This is what it says: This amendment would ``establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund'' to reaffirm that States can raise minimum wage while providing tax relief and eliminating excessive government mandates. States do not need permission from the Federal Government to raise the minimum wage. In fact, 29 States have already raised the minimum wage. And in the last election, when that question was on the ballot in four States, all four of those States voted to raise the minimum wage. People all over this country want us to raise the Federal minimum wage, which is now a starvation wage of $7.25 an hour. So this amendment, quite frankly, does not make a whole lot of sense to me. I would hope it will be defeated. States are looking to the Federal Government to raise the minimum wage. We don't have to tell them what to do. They are doing just fine. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority whip.
