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| Wilson Signs Letter Urging Vote on Federal Minimum Wage Increase |
July 26, 2006 |
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| Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson (R-NM) today announced she has signed a letter urging the Majority Leader to have a floor vote on a federal minimum wage increase.
The letter, authored by Reps. Steve LaTourette (R-OH) and Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), has the signatures of 48 House Republicans urging House consideration of a minimum wage boost.
Rep. Wilson supported a federal minimum wage increase on March 9, 2000, the only up-or-down vote on a minimum wage increase during her eight years in Congress. With that vote, she supported an increase to $5.65 per hour that would have increased again to $6.15 per hour one year later. (H.R. 3081, Roll Call Vote # 41, 106th Congress).
“I’m urging a vote on a federal minimum wage increase,” Wilson said. “I expect a good proposal to emerge that I can support that includes important relief for the small business that create seven of ten new jobs in America.”
Letter Text Below:
July 24, 2006
The Honorable John Boehner
Majority Leader
House of Representatives
H-107, the Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Mr. Leader,
We are writing today to reiterate our request that you bring legislation increasing the federal minimum wage to the floor this week. As Members prepare for the August District Work Period, many of our constituents feel strongly that this matter deserves the full attention of Congress immediately. The citizens in our districts are voicing their support for such an increase and ultimately we are accountable to them.
As you know, it has been nearly ten years since the last increase in the minimum wage. At the current rate, a minimum wage employee who works 40-hours a week earns $10,700 per year. For a single parent with two children, that amount is thousands of dollars below the federal poverty line. Nobody working full time should have to live in poverty. We believe it is time for Congress to take responsible action to raise the minimum wage and ensure our hard working constituents can provide for their families.
We appreciate the leadership you provide and willingness to work with us to resolve this matter positively. We look forward to working with you to ensure a majority of our colleagues in the House will support such legislation and we thank you for your attention to this critical issue.
Sincerely,
Signers of the letter:
1. Bilirakis
2. Boehlert
3. Capito
4. Castle
5. Davis (KY)
6. Dent
7. Emerson
8. English
9. Ferguson
10. Fitzpatrick (PA)
11. Foley
12. Gillmor
13. Gutknecht
14. Hobson
15. Johnson (CT)
16. Johnson (IL)
17. Kelly
18. King (NY)
19. Kuhl
20. LaHood
21. LaTourette
22. Leach
23. Lewis (KY)
24. LoBiondo
25. McHugh
26. Miller (MI)
27. Murphy (PA)
28. Ney
29. Peterson (PA)
30. Poe (TX)
31. Ramstad
32. Saxton
33. Schwartz, Joe
34. Shays
35. Sherwood
36. Simmons
37. Simpson
38. Smith (NJ)
39. Sweeney
40. Tiberi
41. Upton
42. Walsh
43. Weldon (PA)
44. Weller
45. Wilson (NM)
46. Wolf (VA)
47. Young (AK)
48. Young (FL)
- END - |
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