PRESS RELEASE- KING SUPPORTS MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE

Friday July 28, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                            Contact: Ryan Travis

July 28, 2006                                                                                                   (202)225-7896

                                                                                                            Pager (800) 206-2448

 

KING SUPPORTS MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE

 

            Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, announced today that the House of Representatives has passed legislation to increase the minimum wage.  The legislation raises the minimum wage to $7.25.

 

            “Increasing the minimum wage is an important step in helping the working families on Long Island and throughout the country,” Rep. King said.  “Since Congress last voted to raise the minimum wage, living expenses have risen considerably.  It is essential to raise the minimum wage to help working families reach ends meet.”

 

            King, a member of the Republican Working Group on Labor, has long been a supporter of increasing the minimum wage:

 

·        Cosponsored the Minimum Wage Competitiveness Act of 2006 (H.R. 5787).

·        Supported an increase in the minimum wage in 1996 (P.L. 104-188), the last time the House of Representatives considered the measure.

·        Cosponsored the Minimum Wage Competitiveness Act of 2005 (H.R. 3414).

·        Co-signed two letters to the leadership in the House of Representatives, calling for  passage of minimum wage legislation.

 

#####