I 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4839 

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

of the minimum wage based on the Federal poverty threshold for a 

family of 4, as determined by the Bureau of the Census. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 11, 2014 

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas (for himself, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. 

HONDA, Mr. LEWIS, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. LEE

of California, Ms. NORTON, Ms. BASS, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. 

BUTTERFIELD, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Ms. 

CLARKE of New York, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. 

DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. ELLISON, Ms. FUDGE, Ms. JACKSON

LEE, Mr. JEFFRIES, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, 

Mr. MEEKS, Ms. MOORE, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. RUSH, Mr. 

DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. VEASEY, 

Ms. WATERS, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. BROWN of Florida, and Mr. 

RICHMOND) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide for 

the calculation of the minimum wage based on the Federal poverty threshold for a family of 4, as determined 

by the Bureau of the Census. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Original Living Wage 

3 Act of 2014’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

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

6 (1) In 2012, there were over 46,500,000 Ameri7 cans living in poverty who were separated from the 

8 opportunities of the Nation by their income, their 

9 housing, and their access to education, jobs, and 

10 health care. 

11 (2) A full-time worker earning the Federal min12 imum wage earns an income below the Federal pov13 erty threshold for a family of 4, consisting of 2 

14 adults and 2 children. 

15 (3) The average fair market rent for a 1-bed16 room apartment is more than 65 percent of the 

17 monthly income of a full-time worker earning the 

18 minimum wage. In comparison, the generally accept19 ed definition of affordability is for a household to 

20 pay not more than 30 percent of its income on hous21 ing. 

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

23 minimum wage earn an income below the national 

24 housing wage for a 1-bedroom apartment, the 

25 amount a person needs to earn to afford a 1-bed26 room apartment at average rent. 


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1 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con2 gress that— 

3 (1) the Federal minimum wage should, as a 

4 minimum, be adjusted every 4 years so that a person 

5 working for such a wage may earn an annual income 

6 that is not less than 15 percent higher than the 

7 Federal poverty threshold for a family of 4, as deter8 mined by the Bureau of the Census; 

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

10 high enough to allow 2 full-time minimum wage 

11 workers to earn an income above the national hous12 ing wage; and 

13 (3) Congress, any of the several States, the Dis14 trict of Columbia, any territory or possession of the 

15 United States, any Indian tribe, or any local or mu16 nicipal government of a State may establish a higher 

17 minimum wage requirement than that established in 

18 this Act. 

19 SEC. 3. MINIMUM WAGE. 

20 Section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 

21 (29 U.S.C. 206) is amended— 

22 (1) in subsection (a)(1)— 

23 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub24 paragraph (B); 


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1 (B) by inserting ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub2 paragraph (C); and 

3 (C) by inserting at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(D) not less than the amount determined 

5 by the Secretary under subsection (b), begin6 ning September 1, 2014;’’; and 

7 (2) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub8 section (c) and inserting after subsection (a) the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(b)(1) Subject to paragraph (2), not later than June 

11 1, 2014, and once every 4 years thereafter, the Secretary 

12 shall determine the minimum wage rate applicable under 

13 subsection (a)(1) based on the formula described in para14 graph (3). The Secretary shall publish such wage rate in 

15 the Federal Register not later than October 1 of each year. 

16 ‘‘(2) If the minimum wage rate determined by the 

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

18 minimum wage rate than the minimum wage rate in effect 

19 at the time of such determination, the Secretary shall not 

20 adjust, pursuant to this subsection, the minimum wage 

21 rate so in effect. 

22 ‘‘(3) The minimum wage rate determined by the Sec23 retary under paragraph (1) shall be the minimum hourly 

24 wage sufficient for a person working for such wage for 

25 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year, to earn an annual 


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1 income in an amount that is 15 percent higher than the 

2 Federal poverty threshold for a family of 4, with two chil3 dren under the age of 18, and living in any of the 48 con4 tiguous States, as published by the Bureau of the Census 

5 for the year in which the wage rate is being so deter6 mined.’’. 

Æ 


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