H260 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE January 10, 2007 Texas, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Altmire, Mr. Yarmuth, Mr. Hare, Ms. Clarke, provide for an increase in the Federal Bartlett of Maryland, Mr. Ehlers, Mr. Lucas, Mr. Courtney, Ms. Shea-Porter. minimum wage, and ask for its imme- Mrs. Biggert, Mr. Akin, Mr. Bonner, Mr. Mr. PALLONE (during the reading). diate consideration. Feeney, Mr. Neugebauer, Mr. Inglis of South Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent The Clerk read the title of the bill. Carolina, Mr. McCaul of Texas, Mr. Mario The text of the bill is as follows: Diaz-Balart of Florida, Mr. Gingrey, Mr. that the resolution be considered as Bilbray, and Mr. Smith of Nebraska. read and printed in the RECORD. H.R. 2 (12) COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS.—Mr. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep- Bartlett of Maryland, Mr. Graves, Mr. Akin, objection to the request of the gen- resentatives of the United States of America in Mr. Shuster, Mrs. Musgrave, Mr. King of tleman from New Jersey? Congress assembled, Iowa, Mr. Fortenberry, Mr. Westmoreland, There was no objection. SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. Mr. Gohmert, Mr. Heller of Nevada, Mr. The resolution was agreed to. This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fair Min- David Davis of Tennessee, Ms. Fallin, Mr. A motion to reconsider was laid on imum Wage Act of 2007’’. Buchanan, and Mr. Jordan. SEC. 2. MINIMUM WAGE. the table. (13) COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND IN- (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 6(a)(1) of the Fair FRASTRUCTURE.—Mr. Young of Alaska, Mr. f Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. Petri, Mr. Coble, Mr. Duncan, Mr. Gilchrest, LIFTING MINIMUM WAGE 206(a)(1)) is amended to read as follows: Mr. Ehlers, Mr. LaTourette, Mr. Baker, Mr. WORKERS OUT OF POVERTY ‘‘(1) except as otherwise provided in this LoBiondo, Mr. Moran of Kansas, Mr. Gary G. section, not less than— Miller of California, Mr. Hayes, Mr. Brown of (Mr. WELCH of Vermont asked and ‘‘(A) $5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th South Carolina, Mr. Johnson of Illinois, Mr. was given permission to address the day after the date of enactment of the Fair Platts, Mr. Graves, Mr. Shuster, Mr. House for 1 minute.) Minimum Wage Act of 2007; Boozman, Mr. Gerlach, Mr. Mario Diaz- Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Mr. Speak- ‘‘(B) $6.55 an hour, beginning 12 months Balart of Florida, Mr. Marchant, Mr. Dent, er, $2.32 for a gallon of gas, $2.99 for a after that 60th day; and Mr. Poe, Mr. Reichert, Mr. Mack, Mr. Kuhl ‘‘(C) $7.25 an hour, beginning 24 months of New York, Mr. Westmoreland, Mr. gallon of milk, $20 or $25 for a single after that 60th day;’’. Boustany, Mrs. Schmidt, Mrs. Miller of day of childcare. These are real prices (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment Michigan, Mrs. Drake, Ms. Fallin, and Mr. and, too often, real choices that work- made by subsection (a) shall take effect 60 Buchanan. ing Americans face every day. days after the date of enactment of this Act. (14) COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS.—Mr. In Vermont, and across America, we SEC. 3. APPLICABILITY OF MINIMUM WAGE TO Stearns, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. Moran of have had a proud tradition of self-reli- THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS. Kansas, Mr. Baker, Mr. Brown of South ance and sense of community. We need (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 6 of the Fair Carolina, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. to combine these two values, self-reli- Boozman, Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida, Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206) Mr. Turner, Mr. Bilbray, Mr. Lamborn, and ance on the one hand and community shall apply to the Commonwealth of the Mr. Bilirakis. on the other, by rewarding work and Northern Mariana Islands. (b) TRANSITION.—Notwithstanding sub- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without making work pay. We send a message every day to our section (a), the minimum wage applicable to objection, further reading of the reso- citizens and our workers that we value the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana lution is dispensed with. work and that government has a role Islands under section 6(a)(1) of the Fair There was no objection. Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. to play in ensuring opportunity to ev- The resolution was agreed to. 206(a)(1)) shall be— eryone willing to contribute. It is time A motion to reconsider was laid on (1) $3.55 an hour, beginning on the 60th day we matched that message with our own the table. after the date of enactment of this Act; and leadership. (2) increased by $0.50 an hour (or such less- f It is no accident that in Vermont and er amount as may be necessary to equal the more than 20 States around the coun- minimum wage under section 6(a)(1) of such ELECTION OF MAJORITY MEM- Act), beginning 6 months after the date of BERS TO CERTAIN STANDING try, Republicans and Democrats, work- ing together, have led in the effort to enactment of this Act and every 6 months COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE thereafter until the minimum wage applica- reward work with a reasonable min- ble to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, by di- imum wage above our national min- rection of the Democratic Caucus, I Mariana Islands under this subsection is imum last set nearly a decade ago. equal to the minimum wage set forth in such offer a privileged resolution (H. Res. 46) There are few more important tasks before section. and ask for its immediate consider- us than addressing the growing economic gap ation. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- between America’s wealthiest citizens and low The Clerk read the resolution, as fol- ant to section 508 of House Resolution income workers. lows: 6, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Last year, millionaires were given tax breaks HOYER) and the gentleman from Ohio H. RES. 46 that put an average of $40,000 in their pock- (Mr. BOEHNER) each will control 90 Resolved, That the following named Mem- ets, and yet middle class workers who earn minutes. bers and Delegate be and are hereby elected less than $20,000 received just two dollars. The Chair recognizes the distin- to the following standing committees of the Two dollars—for the whole year. That is re- House of Representatives: guished majority leader, the gentleman (1) COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES.—Mr. warding wealth rather than work. from Maryland. Spratt, Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Taylor of Mississippi, Today a full-time minimum wage worker Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield my- Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Meehan, Mr. Reyes, earns just $10,712 annually—more than self such time as I may consume. Mr. Snyder, Mr. Smith of Washington, Ms. $2,000 below the poverty line for a family of Mr. Speaker, I am extraordinarily Loretta Sanchez of California, Mr. McIntyre, two. Asking millions of our neighbors to work happy to rise in support of this legisla- Mrs. Tauscher, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, full time without a wage above poverty is tion. This legislation is very late in Mr. Andrews, Mrs. Davis of California, Mr. wrong. coming to this floor as a free-standing Langevin, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. I believe that Congress must raise the fed- bill. It is, however, never too late to do Cooper, Mr. Marshall, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. the right thing. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Boren, Mr. Ellsworth, eral minimum wage to $7.25 an hour to help Ms. Boyda of Kansas, Mr. Patrick Murphy of life every minimum wage worker out of pov- This legislation, the Fair Minimum Pennsylvania, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. erty. Wage Act of 2007, is long overdue. I be- Shea-Porter, Mr. Courtney, Mr. Loebsack, Today and together, we can begin to restore lieve it will pass this House today with Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Sestak, Ms. Giffords, a balance, by rewarding work and not just broad bipartisan support, as the 9/11 Ms. Castor. wealth, acknowledging we are all in this to- bill did yesterday, making our country (2) COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR.— gether. safer. Mr. Kildee, Mr. Payne, Mr. Andrews, Mr. f At long last, Mr. Speaker, this House Scott of Virginia, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Hinojosa, is just hours away from finally passing Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Mr. Tierney, FAIR MINIMUM WAGE ACT OF 2007 a clean increase in the Federal min- Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Wu, Mr. Holt, Mrs. Davis of California, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant imum wage and sending this legislation Grijalva, Mr. Bishop of New York, Ms. Linda to section 508 of House Resolution 6, I to the Senate, where we devoutly hope T. Sa´ nchez of California, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. call up the bill (H.R. 2) to amend the the Members of the other body will do Sestak, Mr. Loebsack, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to the same without delay. VerDate Aug 31 2005 01:39 Apr 19, 2007 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD07\H10JA7.REC H10JA7 hmoore on PRODPC68 with CONG-REC-ONLINE January 10, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H261 H.R. 2 is the second key piece of leg- 1997, the economy was having one of its The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without islation in the new Democratic major- most successful periods of time, which objection, the gentleman from Cali- ity’s 100-hours agenda, and we are fol- continued long past the adoption of the fornia will be permitted to control the lowing through on our pledge to the minimum wage.