H.R. 4256House108th Congress (2003-2005)In Committee

Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2004

To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide for an increase in the Federal minimum wage.

Legislative Activity

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2 earlier actions

HouseCommittee Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.

Workforce Protections Subcommittee

May 14, 2004

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

April 30, 2004

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Education and Workforce Committee

April 30, 2004

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.

Workforce Protections Subcommittee

May 14, 2004

Floor Debate

1 member

What members said about H.R. 4256 on the floor

1 Democrat

Rep. George MillerD-CA-7 · Oct 11, 2004

Mr. Speaker, increasing the minimum wage is a vital issue for working families across the country. The minimum wage has not been increased in 7 years. The value of the last minimum wage increase has been fully eroded. Today, the minimum wage is worth less than it has been in 46 out of the previous 48 years. As a percentage of the hourly wage of nonsupervisory employees, the minimum wage is at its lowest level in 55 years. This decline is causing serious hardships for low-income families.

To address this problem, I introduced H.R. 4256, the ``Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2004,'' which increases the minimum in three steps from its current level of $5.15 to $7.00. Ninety-four of my colleagues have joined me in sponsoring this legislation. On Wednesday, more than 562 prominent economists--including 4 Nobel Prize winners in economics and 7 past presidents of the American Economic Association--are joining us in endorsing an increase in the Federal minimum wage to $7.00.

In their endorsement, these economists say, ``We believe that a modest increase in the minimum wage would improve the well-being of low-wage workers and would not have the adverse effects that critics have claimed.''

They go on to state:

As economists who are concerned about the problems facing

low-wage workers, we believe the Fair Minimum Wage Act of

2004's proposed phased-in increase in the federal minimum

wage to $7.00 falls well within the range of options where

the benefits to the labor market, workers, and the overall

economy would be positive.

Below is a copy of the economists' statement. A complete list of the cosigners can be found on the Economic Policy Institute's WEB site at: http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/minwagestmt2004.

It's Time for a Raise--Hundreds of Economists Support a Minimum Wage

Increase

The minimum wage has been an important part of our nation's

economy for 65 years. It is based on the principle of valuing

work by establishing an hourly wage floor beneath which

employers cannot pay their workers. In so doing, the minimum

wage helps to equalize the imbalance in bargaining power that

low-wage workers face in the labor market. The minimum wage

is also an important tool in fighting poverty.

The value of the 1997 increase in the federal minimum wage

has been fully eroded. The real value of today's federal

minimum wage is less than it has been in 46 out of the last

48 years. Moreover, the ratio of the minimum wage to the

average hourly wage of non-supervisory workers is 33%, its

lowest level in 55 years. This decline is causing hardship

for low-wage workers and their families.

We believe that a modest increase in the minimum wage would

improve the well-being of low-wage workers and would not have

the adverse effects that critics have claimed. In particular,

we share the view the Council of Economic Advisers expressed

in the 1999 Economic Report of the President that ``the

weight of the evidence suggests that modest increases in the

minimum wage have had very little or no effect on

employment.'' While controversy about the precise employment

effects of the minimum wage continues, research has shown

that most of the beneficiaries are adults, most are female,

and the vast majority are members of low-income working

families.

As economists who are concerned about the problems facing

low-wage workers, we believe the Fair Minimum Wage Act of

2004's proposed phased-in increase in the federal minimum

wage to $7.00 falls well within the range of options where

the benefits to the labor market, workers, and the overall

economy would be positive.

Twelve states and the District of Columbia have set their

minimum wages above the federal level. Additional states,

including Florida, Nevada, and New York, are considering

similar measures. As with a federal increase, modest

increases in state minimum wages in the range of $1.00 to

$2.00 can significantly improve the lives of low-income

workers and their families, without the adverse effects that

critics have claimed.

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued April 30, 2004

108th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 4256

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 30, 2004

Mr. George Miller of California (for himself, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Owens, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Michaud, Ms. Linda T. Sánchez of California, Ms. Lee, Mr. Hoeffel, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Delahunt, Ms. DeLauro, Ms. Solis, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Matsui, Mr. Tierney, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Baca, Ms. Watson, Mr. Langevin, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Ackerman, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Berman, Mr. Inslee, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Evans, Mr. Wynn, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Mr. Dicks, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Ms. Kilpatrick, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Ms. McCarthy of Missouri, Ms. Norton, Ms. Waters, Mr. Kleczka, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Costello, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Weiner, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Israel, Mr. Kennedy of Rhode Island, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Bishop of New York, Ms. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Allen, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Udall of New Mexico, Mr. Olver, Mr. Obey, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Stark, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Hinojosa, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Kildee, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Holt, Mr. Gephardt, Mr. Honda, Mr. Sabo, Mr. Meehan, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Wu, and Mr. Meeks of New York) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

A BILL

To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide for an increase in the Federal minimum wage.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the &short-title1;.

Minimum wage

(a)

In general

Section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) is amended to read as follows:

(1)

except as otherwise provided in this section, not less than—

(A)

$5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after the date of enactment of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2003;

(B)

$6.45 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 60th day; and

(C)

$7.00 an hour, beginning 24 months after that 60th day;

(b)

Effective date

The amendment made by subsection (a) shall take effect 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act.

Applicability of minimum wage to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

(a)

In general

Section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206) shall apply to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

(b)

Transition

Notwithstanding subsection (a), the minimum wage applicable to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands under section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) shall be—

(1)

$3.55 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after the date of enactment of this Act; and

(2)

increased by $0.50 an hour (or such lesser amount as may be necessary to equal the minimum wage under section 6(a)(1) of such Act), beginning 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act and every 6 months thereafter until the minimum wage applicable to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands under this subsection is equal to the minimum wage set forth in such section.