IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 506 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in support of considering legislation that would reinforce the goals of the working families 

agenda. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 29, 2015 

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia (for himself, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. EDWARDS, Ms. LINDA

T. SA ́NCHEZ of California, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Mr. ELLISON, 

Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. FRANKEL of Florida, Ms. MATSUI, Ms. WILSON of 

Florida, Mr. NADLER, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. POCAN, Mr. POLIS, Ms. 

CLARK of Massachusetts, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. COURTNEY, Mrs. DAVIS of 

California, Mr. DESAULNIER, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. 

JEFFRIES, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. BEYER, Mr. GUTIE ́RREZ, Mrs. 

WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. LEE, Mrs. KIRKPATRICK, Mr. GRAYSON, Ms. 

KAPTUR, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. NORTON, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. DELANEY, Mr. TONKO, Mrs. BUSTOS, Mr. 

CARSON of Indiana, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. 

HONDA, Mr. FATTAH, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mrs. CAROLYN

B. MALONEY of New York, Ms. TSONGAS, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. DEUTCH, 

Ms. BROWN of Florida, Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California, Ms. HAHN, 

Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr. TAKAI, Mr. 

QUIGLEY, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. ADAMS, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. GENE

GREEN of Texas, Mr. LEWIS, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Mr. 

HUFFMAN, Mr. SERRANO, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. COHEN, Ms. ROYBALALLARD, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. 

BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. 

RYAN of Ohio, Ms. MENG, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. 

CONYERS, Mr. SIRES, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. 

VEASEY, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. RICHMOND, Mr. 

BLUMENAUER, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. KILMER, Mrs. DINGELL, 

Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. TED LIEU

of California, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. RANGEL, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Miss RICE

of New York, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. CLAY, Mr. LARSEN of 

Washington, Mr. FARR, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. 

HIGGINS, Mrs. BEATTY, and Mr. NORCROSS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 

Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, 


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•HRES 506 IH 

House Administration, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 

case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 

the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in 

support of considering legislation that would reinforce 

the goals of the working families agenda. 

Whereas too many Americans are struggling to make ends 

meet and Congress has the power to enact responsible 

policies that would boost wages so hardworking Americans can live a better life; 

Whereas full-time, year-round work at the minimum wage 

leaves a family of 3 below the Federal poverty line; 

Whereas the buying power of the minimum wage erodes over 

time—and in 2014, the Federal minimum wage of $7.25 

was worth nearly 10 percent less than when it was last 

raised in 2009, after adjusting for inflation; 

Whereas raising the minimum wage to $12 by 2020 would 

directly or indirectly lift wages for 35,100,000 workers— 

more than 1 in 4 United States workers—89 percent of 

whom are over the age of 20; 

Whereas a 2000 study commissioned by the Department of 

Labor found that up to 30 percent of firms misclassify 

their employees as independent contractors; 

Whereas misclassified workers are excluded from employerprovided health and pension plans, denied the right to 

unionize, and deprived of overtime, minimum wage, emVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:49 Oct 29, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR506.IH HR506

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•HRES 506 IH 

ployment discrimination, and health and safety protections that are guaranteed to employees; 

Whereas employers who misclassify their workers fail to pay 

required payroll taxes, thereby shifting unemployment 

taxes and workers’ compensation premiums onto lawabiding businesses; 

Whereas nonunion workers earn, on average, $207 less per 

week than unionized workers and workers who do not belong to a union are far less likely to have access to paid 

sick leave, fair scheduling, paid medical and retirement 

benefits, life insurance, and paid holidays as their union 

counterparts; 

Whereas an analysis of illegal employer conduct during union 

organizing campaigns found that 47 percent of employers 

threaten cuts in benefits or wages if their employees join 

the union, 57 percent threaten to close the facility, and 

34 percent fire at least one employee in retaliation for organizing but the penalties for employer interference with 

organizing are only nominal; 

Whereas strengthening protections for organizing will allow 

workers to collectively bargain for higher wages and better working conditions; 

Whereas workplace policies make it difficult for millions of 

Americans to both provide for and care for their families, 

and Congress has the power to enact responsible policies 

that would help achieve a better balance between work 

and family life; 

Whereas in more than 60 percent of households with children 

all adults are working, women make up 40 percent of primary breadwinners in households with children, and men 

are increasingly more involved in raising children; 


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•HRES 506 IH 

Whereas nearly 17 percent of workers have unstable shift 

schedules—a disproportionate number of whom are workers of color—and roughly half of low-wage workers report 

very little or no control over the timing of the hours they 

are scheduled to work; 

Whereas 41 percent of workers who are ages 26 through 32 

in hourly jobs report getting their work schedules a week 

or less in advance; 

Whereas ensuring that workers have flexible, predictable, and 

stable schedules is critical to workers’ ability to plan their 

lives—including arranging child care or elder care, holding down a second job, going to school, or addressing 

their own serious health conditions; 

Whereas more than 43,000,000 people don’t have a single 

paid sick day to recover from common, short-term illnesses, less than two-thirds of workers in the private sector have access to paid sick leave and only 30 percent of 

workers in the bottom quarter of the earnings distribution have access to paid sick leave; 

Whereas providing all workers with sick days would reduce 

medical costs by $1,100,000,000 and save public health 

programs $500,000,000 annually; 

Whereas only 13 percent of the workforce has paid family 

leave through an employer, less than 40 percent has personal medical leave through an employer-provided disability program, and only 5 percent of workers in the bottom quarter of the earnings distribution have access to 

paid family and medical leave; 

Whereas the implementation of a nationwide family leave proposal would mean economic security for working Americans and their families, improved health outcomes for 


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families and children, increased labor force attachment 

for women, better bottom lines for business and a stronger national economy; 

Whereas decades of research shows that access to high-quality child care and early education experiences benefits all 

children, particularly low-income children; 

Whereas high-quality child care and early education can build 

a strong foundation for young children’s healthy development and ensure that children thrive, and quality preschool leads to a wide range of short- and long-term benefits, including better educational outcomes, higher earnings, and lower crime and delinquency rates and support 

for quality preschool programs could help deliver these 

benefits to children nationwide; 

Whereas discrimination remains an all too persistent barrier 

to workers’ ability to succeed and Congress has the power 

to level the playing field by enacting responsible policies 

that would strengthen protections from discrimination; 

Whereas more than 5 decades after the passage of the Equal 

Pay Act of 1963, women overall working full-time, yearround are paid an overall average of 79 cents for every 

dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic men, Asian-American 

women working full-time, year-round are paid 84 cents, 

African-American women working full-time, year-round 

are paid 61 cents, Native American women working fulltime, year-round are paid 59 cents, and Hispanic women 

working full-time, year-round are paid 55 cents compared 

to White, non-Hispanic men; 

Whereas the wage gap costs women and mothers who are employed full-time in the United States, as a group, more 


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than $490,000,000,000 every year and results in a loss 

of over $400,000 over a woman’s lifetime; 

Whereas putting the remedies for violations of the Equal Pay 

Act of 1963 on par with the remedies for violations of 

other civil rights laws and prohibiting employers from retaliating against workers for discussing their pay would 

help women fight back against pay discrimination; 

Whereas two-thirds of first-time mothers are working but all 

too often women are denied minor adjustments at work 

needed to continue working safely during pregnancy like 

carrying a water bottle, staying off high ladders, or sitting on a stool during a very long shift; 

Whereas pregnant women who have been denied accommodations have been forced off the job during pregnancy at 

the moment when they can least afford it—when they 

have a new mouth to feed; 

Whereas establishing an unmistakably clear legal right to job 

accommodations for pregnant workers would allow 

women who need accommodations to have healthy pregnancies and provide for their growing families; 

Whereas 31 States lack full nondiscrimination protections for 

workers based on their sexual orientation and gender 

identity, meaning that workers may have no recourse if 

they are fired based solely on sexual orientation or gender identity; 

Whereas lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals 

working in States lacking full nondiscrimination protections for workers are more likely to report household incomes below $24,000 than such individuals working in 

States with such protections; and 


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Whereas making unmistakably clear that Federal law prohibits discrimination against workers based on their sexual orientation or gender identity would help ensure that 

these workers’ jobs are not in jeopardy: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) workers are in need of responsible policy so4 lutions that will help them make a better life for 

5 themselves and their families; 

6 (2) a working families agenda is established 

7 to— 

8 (A) boost wages by raising the minimum 

9 wage, strengthening workers’ right to organize, 

10 and protecting workers from misclassification; 

11 (B) achieve a better balance between work 

12 and family by providing workers with paid sick 

13 days, paid family leave, and flexible, predict14 able, and stable schedules while also ensuring 

15 that workers have access to high-quality early 

16 learning opportunities and affordable child care; 

17 and 

18 (C) level the playing field by strengthening 

19 the law guaranteeing equal pay for equal work, 

20 ensuring that pregnant workers have an unmis21 takably clear right to reasonable accommodaVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:49 Oct 29, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR506.IH HR506

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•HRES 506 IH 

1 tions when they need them to continue working 

2 safely during pregnancy, and ensure that work3 ers have explicit protections from discrimination 

4 based on their sexual orientation and gender 

5 identity; and 

6 (3) to show support for working families hear7 ings and votes should be held on— 

8 (A) H.R. 2150, the Raise the Wage Act; 

9 (B) H.R. 3514, the Workplace Action for 

10 a Growing Economy Act; 

11 (C) H.R. 3427, the Payroll Fraud Preven12 tion Act of 2015; 

13 (D) H.R. 3071, the Schedules that Work 

14 Act; 

15 (E) H.R. 932, the Healthy Families Act; 

16 (F) H.R. 1439, the Family and Medical 

17 Insurance Leave Act (FAMILY Act); 

18 (G) H.R. 2411, the Strong Start for Amer19 ica’s Children Act of 2015; 

20 (H) H.R. 2654, the Pregnant Workers 

21 Fairness Act; 

22 (I) H.R. 1619, the Paycheck Fairness Act; 

23 and 

24 (J) H.R. 3185, the Equality Act. 

Æ 


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