Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to revise minimum wage provisions to require: (1) payment of an hourly wage (or salary equivalent) sufficient to enable a full-time worker to cover housing, food, childcare, transportation, and healthcare expenses for a family of four based on regional or municipal cost-of-living standards; (2) an additional amount to enable such worker to obtain any fringe benefits not provided by the worker's employer; (3) annual cost-of-living adjustments to such wage levels; and (4) wage increases for federal and contract workers proportionately equal to congressional pay raises. Makes these requirements applicable to wages paid in the Northern Mariana Islands.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6422 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6422
To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) to
reflect the actual costs of living in various regions of the country
and to bring the minimum to a fair wage that can support federal
workers and contractors and their families.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 8, 2006
Ms. McKinney 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 (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) to
reflect the actual costs of living in various regions of the country
and to bring the minimum to a fair wage that can support federal
workers and contractors and their families.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
(a) Over 10% of Federal Contract workers earn below poverty level
wages.
(b) The majority of federal contractors paying poverty level wages
are defense contractors (62%).
(c) Most contractors are large businesses (59%), not small
businesses or nonprofit organizations.
(d) Over a quarter of one million direct federal workers work at
poverty level wages. (EPI Study released in 2000)
(e) Since members of Congress last voted to boost minimum wages,
they have raised their own pay by 23%. (Christian Science Monitor 1/30/
06)
(f) While real income is declining for working families, top
corporate executives receive an average 431 times the salary of a
worker in his or her company. (Christian Science Monitor 1/30/06)
(g) A graduated increase of the minimum wage proposed in current
pending legislation from $5.85/hr. to $7.25/hr. does not bring the
annual income of a family of four above the poverty line.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT OF 1938.
(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 an hourly wage (or salary equivalent) sufficient for a
worker to earn, while working 40 hours a week on a full-time
basis, equal to or above what it would cost to cover the cost
of housing, food, childcare, transportation and healthcare
needs of a family of four based on the regional or municipal
cost of living; and
(2) an additional amount, determined by the Secretary based
on the locality in which a worker resides, sufficient to cover
the costs to such worker to obtain any fringe benefits not
provided by the worker's employer; and
(3) an hourly wage that will be adjusted annually in accord
with Federal Cost of Living Adjustments; and that
(4) the hourly wage for Federal Workers and Contract
Workers will increase by the same percentage as the
Congressional pay raise whenever Congress votes to raise their
salaries above COLA.
(5) Effective date.--The amendment made by section (a)
above shall take effect 60 days after the date of enactment of
this Act; and
(b) 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.
(1) 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--
(a) except as otherwise provided in this section,
not less than an hourly wage (or salary equivalent)
sufficient for a worker to earn, while working 40 hours
a week on a full-time basis, equal to or above what it
would cost to cover the cost of housing, food,
childcare, transportation and healthcare needs of a
family of four based on the regional or municipal cost
of living; and
(b) an additional amount, determined by the
Secretary based on the locality in which a worker
resides, sufficient to cover the costs to such worker
to obtain any fringe benefits not provided by the
worker's employer; and
(c) an hourly wage that will be adjusted annually
in accord with federal Cost of Living Adjustments; and
that
(d) the hourly wage for Federal Workers and
Contract Workers will increase by the same percentage
as the Congressional pay raise whenever Congress votes
to raise their salaries above COLA.
(2) Any items produced or manufactured displaying a ``Made
in the USA'' label must be compensated with an hourly wage that
complies with the federally mandated minimum wage standards in
section (b) above.
(3) Effective date.--The amendment made by section (b)
above shall take effect 60 days after the date of enactment of
this Act.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
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