I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3041 
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 2, as determined by the Census Bureau. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 25, 2009 
Mr. AL GREEN of Texas (for himself, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. HONDA, and 
Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide for 
the calculation of the minimum wage based on the Fed-
eral poverty threshold for a family of 2, as determined 
by the Census Bureau. 
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 ‘‘Living American Wage 
(LAW) Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
03:57 Jun 30, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3041.IH
H3041
rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with BILLS
(1) In 2007, there were over 37,000,000 Ameri-
cans living in poverty who were separated from the 
opportunities of the Nation by their income, their 
housing, and their access to education, jobs, and 
health care. 
(2) A full-time worker earning the Federal min-
imum wage earns an income below the Federal pov-
erty threshold for a family of 2, consisting of 1 adult 
and 1 child. 
(3) The average fair market rent for a 1-bed-
room apartment is more than 60 percent of the 
monthly income of a full-time worker earning the 
minimum wage. In comparison, the generally accept-
ed definition of affordability is for a household to 
pay not more than 30 percent of its income on hous-
ing. 
(4) Two full-time workers earning the Federal 
minimum wage earn an income below the national 
housing wage for a 1-bedroom apartment, the 
amount a person needs to earn to afford a 1-bed-
room apartment at average rent. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) the Federal minimum wage should, as a 
minimum, be adjusted every 4 years so that a person 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
03:57 Jun 30, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3041.IH
H3041
rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with BILLS
working for such a wage may earn an annual income 
that is not less than 15 percent higher than the 
Federal poverty threshold for a family of 2, as deter-
mined by the Census Bureau; 
(2) the minimum wage should be set at a level 
high enough to allow 2 full-time minimum wage 
workers to earn an income above the national hous-
ing wage; and 
(3) Congress, any of the several States, the Dis-
trict of Columbia, any Territory or possession of the 
United States, any Indian tribe, or any local or mu-
nicipal government of a State may establish a higher 
minimum wage requirement than that established in 
this Act. 
SEC. 3. MINIMUM WAGE. 
Section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 
is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub-
paragraph (B); 
(B) by inserting ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub-
paragraph (C); and 
(C) by inserting at the end the following: 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
03:57 Jun 30, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3041.IH
H3041
rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with BILLS