I 

119TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 122 

To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide for the calculation 

of the minimum wage based on the Federal supplemental poverty threshold for a renter family of 4, with 2 children under the age of 18, 

as determined by the Bureau of the Census, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 3, 2025 

Mr. GREEN of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide for 

the calculation of the minimum wage based on the Federal supplemental poverty threshold for a renter family 

of 4, with 2 children under the age of 18, as determined 

by the Bureau of the Census, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Original Living Amer5 ican Wage Act’’ or the ‘‘Original LAW Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) In 2022, there were approximately 

2 37,900,000 Americans living in poverty who were 

3 denied access to opportunities due to income, hous4 ing, education, jobs, and health care. 

5 (2) A full-time worker earning the Federal min6 imum wage earns an income that is just $20 above 

7 the Federal poverty line for a single-person house8 hold and $5,360 below the poverty line for a two9 person household. 

10 (3) The average fair market rent for a 1-bed11 room apartment is more than 110 percent of the 

12 monthly income of a full-time worker earning the 

13 minimum wage. In comparison, the generally accept14 ed definition of affordability is for a household to 

15 pay not more than 30 percent of its income on hous16 ing. 

17 (4) Two full-time workers earning the Federal 

18 minimum wage earn an income below the national 

19 housing wage, which is the amount a person must 

20 earn to afford a 1-bedroom apartment for the aver21 age rental price without spending more than 30 per22 cent of their income. 

23 (5) In 2023, data from the Living Wage Calcu24 lator of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

25 indicated that the median average living wage across 


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1 single adults and single adults with one child span2 ning all 50 States was $26.59 per hour or approxi3 mately $48,154.49 annually. 

4 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con5 gress that— 

6 (1) the Federal minimum wage should, at a 

7 minimum, be adjusted any time that inflation rises 

8 to 5 percent or above over 2 consecutive years so 

9 that a wage earner’s annual income will be not less 

10 than 40 percent above the Supplemental Poverty 

11 Threshold for a renting family of 4, as determined 

12 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics; 

13 (2) the minimum wage should be set at a level 

14 high enough to allow 2 full-time minimum wage 

15 workers to earn an income above the national hous16 ing wage; and 

17 (3) Congress, any of the several States, the Dis18 trict of Columbia, any territory or possession of the 

19 United States, any Indian tribe, or any local or mu20 nicipal government of a State may establish a higher 

21 minimum wage requirement than that established in 

22 this Act. 

23 SEC. 3. MINIMUM WAGE. 

24 Section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 

25 (29 U.S.C. 206) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a)(1)— 

2 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub3 paragraph (B); and 

4 (B) by inserting at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(D) $10.59 an hour, beginning January 

6 1, 2026; 

7 ‘‘(E) $14.59 an hour, beginning January 

8 1, 2027; 

9 ‘‘(F) $18.59 an hour, beginning January 

10 1, 2028; 

11 ‘‘(G) $22.59 an hour, beginning January 

12 1, 2029; 

13 ‘‘(H) $26.59 an hour, beginning January 

14 1, 2030; and 

15 ‘‘(I) the amount determined by the Sec16 retary under subsection (b), beginning January 

17 1, 2031.’’; and 

18 (2) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub19 section (c) and inserting after subsection (a) the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(b)(1) Subject to paragraph (3), not later than Oc22 tober 1, 2030, and every 7 years thereafter, the Secretary 

23 shall determine the minimum wage rate applicable under 

24 subsection (a)(1) based on the formula described in para25 graph (2). The Secretary shall publish such wage rate in 


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1 the Federal Register not later than November 1 of each 

2 year in which a minimum wage rate is determined under 

3 this paragraph. 

4 ‘‘(2) For the 7-year period beginning on January 1, 

5 2031, and each succeeding 7-year period, the minimum 

6 wage rate determined by the Secretary under paragraph 

7 (1) shall be a minimum hourly wage sufficient for a person 

8 working for such wage for 1,799 hours per year to earn 

9 an annual income in an amount that is 40 percent higher 

10 than the Federal supplemental poverty threshold for a 

11 renter family of 4, with two children under the age of 18, 

12 as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the 

13 year preceding the year in which the wage rate is being 

14 so determined. 

15 ‘‘(3) If the minimum wage rate determined by the 

16 Secretary under paragraph (1) would result in a lower 

17 minimum wage rate than the minimum wage rate in effect 

18 at the time of such determination, the Secretary may not 

19 adjust the minimum wage rate so in effect.’’. 

Æ 


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