Date: 1995-01-23
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman. I appreciate my col- minimum wage on the people who are league. the gentleman from North the lowest hardworking workers? Carolina . bringing up Why should we put procedural hurthe earned income tax credit. Last ses- dles to raise the income of working sion of Congress not one Republican Americans when we are putting a proMember voted for that earned income cedural hurdle to where it is harder to tax credit. To take credit for it to- raise the taxes on the richest? We are night. maybe it was their idea. but to protecting the people at one end of the put it into existence. the people on this earning scale but we are making it side of the aisle did that. That is why harder to help those at the other end. minimum wage is so important. It was a few year ago when I made I appreciate my colleagues. the gen- minimum wage and I was glad Congress tleman from Vermont . raised it then from $1.25 an hour. I rethe chairman of the EEOC Committee. member where I come from. I hope that and my ranking member. introducing a lot of Members of Congress remember this amendment. where we come from and recognize that The case for minimum wage. and we we do not need to throw additional hear that we are not talking about is- hurdles. particularly for public emsues tonight. we are talking about un- ployees to make increase in minimum funded mandates. but we are talking wage. about issues. because to deal with safe Mr. VENTO. Mr. Chairman. will the drinking water. to deal with nuclear gentleman yield? regulatory issues. to deal with mini- Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. I yield mum wage. we are putting up the road- to the gentleman from Minnesota. mumcks waig we aeal utt thoe rd- Mr. VENTO. I want to commend the blocks tonight to deal with those is- gentleman for his statement and the sues. To say we are not doing it. Mem- point about minimum wage. I want to bers are casting aspersions andmaking commend my colleague from North the American people not realize what Carolina for his statement about the has actually happened. That is why earned income credit. I would like to this amendment is so important. have had more support 2 years ago The case for minimum wage needs to when we passed it. but that is no exbe made tonight and hopefully. when cuse. we get a bill. here on the floor. We can- We believe in the private enterprise not raise a family on minimum wage. system in providing some minimum opeven with the earned income tax cred- portunities for people to get adequate it. compensation. We should not have to Many people in my district are re- unless there are unusual circumstances quired to live on that. At $4.25 an hour to rely on the Tax Code and the income as a single person theymake $8.840. It transfers that go in that direction. In is barely above the poverty line for in- fact. we are going .to be talking about dividuals. That is $7.360. If they have those income transfers a little later one child. the poverty line is $9.840. this week. I though maybe some of our That puts them below the poverty colleagues were anticipating that delevel. even at minimum wage. bate. 03 The earned income tax credit is necessary. but it is limited in terms of The purchasing power of the mini- what we can do. We want the private mum wage measured in constant dol- sector to pay adequate wages and comlars is about the same as it was in the pensation and benefits so that people 1950s. Teenagers and young adults can support their families. make up about half the minimum wage I support the gentlemans statement population. The gentleman from North and his concern. he is doing it with Carolina was correct. great aplomb. and I credit him for it. according to the Economic Policy In- Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. I thank stitute. But the other half of hard- the gentleman. working adults. working Americans Let me remind Members the earned who need to have that increase. if we income credit was a great bill and it throw up another roadblock tonight for passed in 1993. But that does not mean public employees not be paid a higher we should not also consider what we -minimum wage. then that is doing a need to do with the minimum wage. disservice to those people. and to separate out public employees. I also served many years in the Texas whether they work for cities. counties Legislature. 20 years in the legislature. or States. to treat them separately so I know about unfunded mandates. I from private individuals or private also know that in a minimum wage companies is wrong because they have issue. it is a national issue and should to support families just like private not be dealt with on the State level. employees have to. Why should we be excluded from this Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Chairman. I bill? We have been discussing raising move to strike the requisite number of the threshold for passing the income words. tax. This Congress 2 weeks ago and Mr. Chairman. I move today in supmaybe this week will make it a three- port of the amendment of the genfifths requirement to require an in- tleman from Vermont. come tax increase. Particularly in 1993 All of us believe that we must find we raised taxes on the 2 percent of the ways to ease the budget burden on wealthiest income earners. Yet we are States and municipalities. That is not. going to make it even harder to pass a- however. what we are really debating today.. We are not deciding whether we will make a serious effort to get our budget under control and legislate more reasonably. We are deciding whether in a frantic. unreasonable rush to claim that we are not passing on costs to localities. whether the Congress of the United States will completely abandon its vital role in protecting American working people. Avote for H.R. 5 without this amendment is an unconditional surrender. an unconditional surrender of our obligation to ensure that American workers earn a decent wage and that they work in decent conditions. Is our drive to congratulate ourselves and pretend we are helping States and localities so great. so immense that we are willing to risk the safety .of workting people all across our Nation? Is our desire to take credit for socalled accountability so great that we are willing to risk child labor and minimum wage standards? If. Mr. Chairman. in this committee. in the Peoples House we will not stand up for American workers. stand up so that they are paid a decent salary. stand up so that their children will not be forced to work. stand up so that they can all work in safety. then. Mr. Chairman. who will stand up for the American working men and women? We all want to help States and localities. I want to help the city of Chicago. But we should not do it by risking the health. the safety. and the protection of American workers. This is not an abstract problem. Mr. Chairman. The dangers are real. In 1990. there was a 177 percent in-. crease in child labor violations. If we pass this bill ignoring this important amendment. we will not be able to take steps to remedy this growing crisis. My friends. we do not have to say no to workers. especially on a day like today when we have seen tens of thousands of marchers for prolife. Is it not prolife to guarantee that a mother can raise and feed and clothe and educate a child? Is it not prolife that once that child is here with us. that we guarantee that that child is able to work under some reasonable conditions of safety and not at a young and tender age? Is it not prolife. and I see my colleagues on the other side smiling. They deny a womans right to choose and then say we will not protect the children once they are here with us. Is it not prolife to guarantee that people can smell the air and drink decent water and that our environment is not contaminated? Is that not what life is really all about? That we can raise our children. educate them and live in peace.