Senator Clinton Cosponsors Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2005

Senator Clinton Cosponsors Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2005

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton joined Senator Ted Kennedy today in introducing the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2005. This legislation will raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour in three steps- by 70 cents two months after enactment, 70 cents one year after enactment, and 70 cents two years after enactment. The increase will directly benefit more than 7 million workers, including 500,000 New Yorkers.

"It is our responsibility to do right by hardworking Americans by giving them the tools they need to be self sufficient," Senator Clinton said. "An increase in the minimum wage is long overdue. People who work hard and play by the rules should not live in poverty."

It has now been more than eight years since Congress last voted to increase the minimum wage to its current level of $5.15 an hour. Since then, all of the gains of the 1996-1997 increases have been lost and the number of people living in poverty has increased by over 4 million in the past four years. Nearly 36 million people currently live in poverty, 13 million of whom are children. Minimum wage employees working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year earn only $10,750 a year-$5,000 below the poverty line for a family of three.

Senator Clinton has been a staunch supporter of increasing the minimum wage. In March, the Senator supported an amendment to increase the minimum wage to $7.25, it was defeated by a party line vote. She is also an original cosponsor of the Fair Wage, Competition, and Investment Act of 2005, which includes an identical provision to increase the minimum wage.

http://clinton.senate.gov/~clinton/news/2005/2005519C07.html