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Bonamici Applauds Passage of Federal Minimum Wage Increase

July 18, 2019

Legislation gradually raises federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025, increasing wages of up to 33 million workers

WASHINGTON, DC [7/18/19] – Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Chair of the Education & Labor Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services, applauded the House passage of the Raise the Wage Act.

The Raise the Wage Act gradually raises the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour by 2025, indexes future minimum wage increases to median wage growth, and phases out the subminimum wages for tipped workers, youth, and workers with disabilities. The federal minimum wage has not been raised in more than a decade.

"The federal minimum wage has been stagnant for too long, exacerbating income inequality, perpetuating wage gaps, and leaving too many individuals working full-time in poverty," said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. "Today the House addressed the challenges faced by working families across the country by passing the Raise the Wage Act. All full-time workers should be able to afford basic needs like food, housing, transportation, healthcare, and childcare. The Raise the Wage Act is good for workers and good for the economy. I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to quickly pass this legislation."

Recent analysis from the Economic Policy Institute found that raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour would benefit nearly 27,700 workers in Northwest Oregon. The Raise the Wage Act would raise wages for up to 33 million workers across the country. Today an individual working 40 hours per week and earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour earns only $15,080 annually, putting a family of two below the federal poverty level. Gradually raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour would lift millions of families out of poverty, address persistent wage gaps, help reduce poverty rates, and support working families.

Bonamici spoke in support of the legislation on the House floor. Video of her remarks can be found here.

Bonamici has been a long-time advocate for eliminating subminimum wages for tipped workers. Earlier this year, she voted to approve the Raise the Wage Act in the Education and Labor Committee.

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