I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 239 
To increase the Federal minimum wage and to provide an alternative min-
imum wage as an incentive to an employer to provide health care and 
child care benefits. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 4, 2007 
Mrs. WILSON of New Mexico introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To increase the Federal minimum wage and to provide an 
alternative minimum wage as an incentive to an employer 
to provide health care and child care benefits. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Working Americans 
Growing the Economy (WAGE) Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. MINIMUM WAGE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 6 of the Fair Labor 
Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(a)) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
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(A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(1) except as otherwise provided in this sec-
tion, not less than— 
‘‘(A) $5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th 
day after the date of enactment of the Working 
Americans Growing the Economy (WAGE) Act 
of 2007; 
‘‘(B) $6.55 an hour, beginning 12 months 
after that 60th day; and 
‘‘(C) $7.25 an hour, beginning 24 months 
after that 60th day;’’; and 
(B) 
by 
redesignating 
paragraphs 
(2) 
through (5) as paragraphs (3) through (6), re-
spectively and inserting after paragraph (2) the 
following new paragraph: 
‘‘(2) if an employer provides to an employee 
health care benefits or child care benefits totaling 
not less than $2,500 per year, the applicable min-
imum wage rate paid by such employer to such em-
ployee shall be as follows: 
‘‘(A) $5.15 an hour, beginning on the 60th 
day after the date of enactment of the Working 
Americans Growing the Economy (WAGE) Act 
of 2007; 
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‘‘(B) $5.55 an hour, beginning 12 months 
after that 60th day; and 
‘‘(C) $6.25 an hour, beginning 24 months 
after that 60th day;’’; and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(c) For purposes of determining the minimum wage 
under paragraph (2) of subsection (a), the Secretary, not 
later than 60 days after the date of enactment of the 
Working Americans Growing the Economy (WAGE) Act 
of 2007, shall define the categories of health care benefits 
and child care benefits provided by an employer to an em-
ployee which shall qualify an employer to pay the wage 
rates specified in such paragraph, and shall establish a 
method for determining the value of such benefits pro-
vided. In defining the categories of health care benefits, 
the Secretary shall include contributions made by an em-
ployer to a health insurance plan.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall take effect 60 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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