I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6422 
To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) 
to reflect the actual costs of living in various regions of the country 
and to bring the minimum to a fair wage that can support federal 
workers and contractors and their families. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 8, 2006 
Ms. MCKINNEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 
206(a)(1)) to reflect the actual costs of living in various 
regions of the country and to bring the minimum to 
a fair wage that can support federal workers and con-
tractors and their families. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
(a) Over 10% of Federal Contract workers earn below 
poverty level wages. 
(b) The majority of federal contractors paying pov-
erty level wages are defense contractors (62%). 
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(c) Most contractors are large businesses (59%), not 
small businesses or nonprofit organizations. 
(d) Over a quarter of one million direct federal work-
ers work at poverty level wages. (EPI Study released in 
2000) 
(e) Since members of Congress last voted to boost 
minimum wages, they have raised their own pay by 23%. 
(Christian Science Monitor 1/30/06) 
(f) While real income is declining for working fami-
lies, top corporate executives receive an average 431 times 
the salary of a worker in his or her company. (Christian 
Science Monitor 1/30/06) 
(g) A graduated increase of the minimum wage pro-
posed in current pending legislation from $5.85/hr. to 
$7.25/hr. does not bring the annual income of a family 
of four above the poverty line. 
SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT 
OF 1938. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor 
Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) is amended 
to read as follows: 
(1) except as otherwise provided in this section, 
not less than an hourly wage (or salary equivalent) 
sufficient for a worker to earn, while working 40 
hours a week on a full-time basis, equal to or above 
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what it would cost to cover the cost of housing, food, 
childcare, transportation and healthcare needs of a 
family of four based on the regional or municipal 
cost of living; and 
(2) an additional amount, determined by the 
Secretary based on the locality in which a worker re-
sides, sufficient to cover the costs to such worker to 
obtain any fringe benefits not provided by the work-
er’s employer; and 
(3) an hourly wage that will be adjusted annu-
ally in accord with Federal Cost of Living Adjust-
ments; and that 
(4) the hourly wage for Federal Workers and 
Contract Workers will increase by the same percent-
age as the Congressional pay raise whenever Con-
gress votes to raise their salaries above COLA. 
(5) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 
by section (a) above shall take effect 60 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act; and 
(b) IN GENERAL.—Section 6 of the Fair Labor 
Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206) shall apply to the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 
(1) TRANSITION.—Notwithstanding subsection 
(a), the minimum wage applicable to the Common-
wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands under sec-
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tion 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 
1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) shall be— 
(a) except as otherwise provided in this 
section, not less than an hourly wage (or salary 
equivalent) sufficient for a worker to earn, 
while working 40 hours a week on a full-time 
basis, equal to or above what it would cost to 
cover the cost of housing, food, childcare, trans-
portation and healthcare needs of a family of 
four based on the regional or municipal cost of 
living; and 
(b) an additional amount, determined by 
the Secretary based on the locality in which a 
worker resides, sufficient to cover the costs to 
such worker to obtain any fringe benefits not 
provided by the worker’s employer; and 
(c) an hourly wage that will be adjusted 
annually in accord with federal Cost of Living 
Adjustments; and that 
(d) the hourly wage for Federal Workers 
and Contract Workers will increase by the same 
percentage as the Congressional pay raise 
whenever Congress votes to raise their salaries 
above COLA. 
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(2) Any items produced or manufactured dis-
playing a ‘‘Made in the USA’’ label must be com-
pensated with an hourly wage that complies with the 
federally mandated minimum wage standards in sec-
tion (b) above. 
(3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 
by section (b) above shall take effect 60 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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