[captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore the house will be in order. The chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. The clerk the speakers room, washington, d. C. , july 18, 2019. I hereby appoint the honorable Tom Malinowski to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. Signed, nancy pelosi, speaker of the house of representatives. The speaker pro tempore the prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father conroy. Chaplain conroy let us pray. We give you thanks, o god, for giving us another day. This has been a difficult and contentious week in which darker spirits seemed to have been at play in the peoples house. In your most holy name, i now cast out all spirits of darkness from this chamber, spirits not from you. I cast out the spirit of discouragement, which deadens the hope of those who are of good will. Cast out the spirit of petty divisiveness, which clouds the sense and the desire to be of fruitful productivity in addressing the issues more appropriately before this house. I cast out any sadness brought on by the frustration of dealing with matters detrimental to the honorable work each member has been called to engage in. Pour out, o lord, your sacred oil as you did upon aaron of old. Anoint your servants here in the house with a healing balm to comfort and renew the souls of all in this assembly. Ay your spirit of wisdom and patience descend upon all so that any spirit of darkness may have no play in our midst. Rather, let your spirit of comity, of brother and sisterhood, and love of our nation and of all colleagues in this chamber. Empower our better angels to be at play and the common work to be done for the benefit of all your people. May all that is done within the peoples house be for your greater honor and glory. Men. The speaker pro tempore the chair has examined the journal of the last days proceedings and announces to the house his. Proval thereof pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. For what purpose does the gentleman from niege seek recognition . The gentleman from New Hampshire is recognized. Mr. Pappas mr. Speaker, i demand a vote on agreeing to the speakers approval of the journal. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The journal stands approved. Mr. Pappas mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from New Hampshire seek recognition . Mr. Pappas mr. Speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. The pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from tennessee, mr. Kustoff. Mr. Kustoff i pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The speaker pro tempore the chair will entertain up to five requests for oneminute speeches on each side of the aisle. For what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition . Mr. Green to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one inute. Mr. Green thank you, mr. Speaker. And still i rise with love of country in my heart, understanding that, mr. Speaker, we have gone from lock her up to jews will not replace us to now send her back, send her back. Mr. Speaker, bigotry, hate is on the rise in this country, and i am so proud of the 95 persons who on yesterday voted against bigotry and hate. We must not allow this to continue. We now are moving on. We are marching on. We first had 58 and then 95. We are marching on to 212. Mr. Speaker, let me close with this. This is an important time in this country. These are dangerous times. Every member of this house needs additional security. I am going to file a bill asking for more security for the members of this house. Leadership has adequate security. Members do not have adequate security. I want to thwart the efforts of those who might want to harm a member of this house. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition . To address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. As the representative of cincinnati, ohio, i rise this morning to recognize an ohioan who was a professor of Aerospace Engineering at the university of cincinnati. Mr. Chabot prior to that, he was a naval aviator, a test pilot, and later an astronaut. 50 years ago, the words he spoke now reside in history. Thats one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Everyone on earth at that time remembers where he or she was when Neil Armstrong took that step. His contributions to Space Exploration did not end on the surface of the moon. Neil armstrong was also on the team that investigated the apollo 13 accident, and he was vice chairman of the commission that investigated the Space Shuttle challenge hadder disaster. Ohioan Neil Armstrong is a true american hero, and his Extraordinary Service to our country, to all humankind, really, will be forever remembered. Yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one inute. Mr. Payne mr. Speaker, i rise today to honor phil who passed away on july 9 at his home in durham, North Carolina. While attending Central High School in philadelphia, he was drawn to art and the tk nook of designing technique of designing and black. He was one of two black students at the university of college of design where he had a passion for increasing diversity within his profession. One of his major contributions to our nation was the building of the National Museum of africanamerican history and culture. Mr. Speaker, we mourn the passing of mr. Freelan, but his legacy and passion lives on to educate and empower the next generation of architects. With that i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, i rise today to recognize this saturday, july 20, as National Pennsylvania day. The keystone state has played an historic role in our nations founding and continues to shape our future. It is the birthplace of the declaration of independence and home to our nations very first capital, philadelphia. Pennsylvania is also the site of several historic battles, including the war of valley forge and gettysburg. Its where betsy ross hand crafted the First American flag and where colonel drake built the First Commercial Oil well in 1859. From our steel mills and coal mines to our farm lands and forests, this great states many contributions to our nation are a strong testament indust rse struss industrious commonwealth. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman rise . To address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today on behalf of my constituents, bob and kathy, who shared their story recently with me at a roundtable discussion in manchester. Pappas his wife kathy was a match for his kidney transplant. Today, 15 years after bobs successful surgery, he must continue to take antirejection drugs. This prescription has always been covered by kathys private insurance. Even as bob and kathy are near retirement age, retirement is not an option for them because bob is dependent on a prescription drug. Nobody in america should be deprived the dignity of retirement after a lifetime of hard work because of the outrageous cost of lifesaving drugs. Im committed to working with my colleagues to ease the significant burden and anxiety that so Many Americans unnecessarily face every day. We must tackle the high cost of prescription drugs now. The American People are counting on us to do just that. Thank you, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize Valerie Calhoun. R. Kustoff valerie is the cohost of good morning memphis. Most recently, valerie was recognized and honored as an inductee into the tennessee journalism hall of fame. Anyone who knows Valerie Calhoun recognizes how well deserved this honor is for her and for her family. Valerie is someone who puts passion and dedication behind everything that she does. Through valeries lifelong commitment to journalism, shes brought news from around the world into every home in memphis, west tennessee, and the Memphis Metropolitan community. On top of her skills in journalism, valerie and her family have become an integral part of the Memphis Community through their volunteer work. You can always find valerie and her husband, john, volunteering at southern reins, at bos school, and hosting numerous charitable events throughout the community. Through her hard work and dedication to journalism, valerie has become an inspiration to many looking to make their career in broadcasting and in journalism. Valerie, congratulations on your induction into the tennessee journalism hall of fame. Mr. Speaker, with that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Takano thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today to celebrate a dear friend whom i greatly admire, jane block. Jane has dedicated her life to our community, to activism, and to making our society more just and equal for everyone. She has been instrumental in leading the Womens Movement in riverside by serving on the committee that led to the founding of u. C. R. s Womens Resource Center and chairing the commission on the status of women. Jane is president of the riverside land conservancy and helped establish a box Spring Mountain reserve in moreno valley, which declared the region as a park instead of a development area. My district is beater place because of her. Its an honor not only to have her as a member of our community but to call her my friend. Im wishing you a happy 90th birthday, jane. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition . To address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, in july, 1969, Neil Armstrong, buzz aldrin, and Michael Collins achieved something once thought impossible, successfully landing on the moon and returning safely to the earth. They succeeded despite the many dangers they faced and the countless things that could have gone wrong during their pioneering 240,000mile journey. Mr. Jordan i take special pride in representing Neil Armstrongs birth play, home of the Neil Armstrong air and space museum. The museum has on display many artifacts from the mission and other items from mr. Armstrongs life and career. The museums year long celebration of the anniversary culminates in events ranging from meet and greets from astronauts, 5k and 10k races. A grand finale concert. Mr. Speaker, Neil Armstrong died in 2012 at the age of 82, but the impact of his journey is still felt today in rural ohio and throughout the world. Im pleased to join the people to join in celebrating a man that took a small step that left a giant legacy. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to speak for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, i rise to celebrate an important milestone in the fight to protect patients from unfair and expensive Surprise Medical Bills. For too many middle class families, receiving an unexpected and very expensive bill from an out of Network Provider is devastating and can lead to severe anxiety, depression and financial ruin. Thats why yesterday the house energy and Commerce Committee passed h. R. 3630, the no surprises act, a bill that will protect millions of hardworking americans from receiving a surprise medical bill through no fault of their own. Mr. Ruiz im fighting to end Surprise Medical Bills once and for all. The no surprise act includes my bipartisan amendment to create an independent arbitration process that keeps patients out of the middle and off the hook for Surprise Medical Bills. As an emergency medicine physician, my lifes work has been about putting patients first, and im still fighting to put their health above all else. Id like to thank chairman pallone for leading an open, inclusive and collaborative process that has brought us one step closer to a bipartisan solution that protects patients and ends Surprise Medical Bills. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Lamalfa in matthew in the new testament it talks about, you will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapeles gathered from thorn bushes or figures from thistles . Every healthy figs from thistles . Every healthy tree bears good fruit but a diseased tree bears bad fruit. The tree of the house of representatives hasnt borne much fruit this week. A continued border crisis exacerbated by inaction on properly defining asylum or legal immigration, instead of the Kitchen Table issues families sent us to work on, we get impeachment questions that for all the hype barely mustered 1 5 of the house votes to not table that discussion. And next week, another round of robert mueller, after two years and tens of millions of dollars of drilling a dry well. Mr. Speaker, for those that watch this house, our constituents, to actually feel embarrassed by its governing, even causing our pro temp speaker to abandon the chair, out of privilege, i believe, over this infighting. We have some serious selfcontemplation and soul searching to do as a body. To uphold the dignity of this institution, not just change the rules and support the inappropriate language of its leaders of this house, or attack our close ally, israel, with a b. D. S. Resolution. Mr. Speaker, we will be recognized by the fruits we produce in this body. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia, mr. Scott, seek recognition . Mr. Scott mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 493, i ask unanimous couldnt sent to bring up h. R. 582 and ask for its immediate consideration. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk Union Calendar 512. H. R. 582. A bill to provide for increases in the federal minimum wage and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to House Resolution 492, the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on education and labor printed in the bill, modified by the amendment printed in part a of house report 116155, is adopted and the bill as amended is considered read. The bill shall be debatable for one hour, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee of on education and labor. After one hour of debate, it shall be in order to consider the further amendment printed in part b of house report 116 155, if offered by the member designated in the report, which shall be considered read, shall be separately debatable for the time specified in the report, equally divided and controlled by the proponent and and an opponent. The gentleman from virginia, mr. Scott, and the gentlewoman from North Carolina, ms. Foxx, each will control 30 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia, mr. Scott. Mr. Scott thank you, mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that members have five legislative days to revise and extend their. Emarks the idea behind a federal minimum wage is simple. Hardworking americans can be paid should be paid enough to provide for themselves and their families. After more than a decade with no increase in the minimum wage, and that is the longest stretch since the minimum wage was established in 1938, it is no longer serving that purpose. Today the federal minimum wage is a poverty wage in every region of our nation. Our nations workers deserve better. The raise the wage act, h. R. 582, gradually increases the federal minimum wage to 15 an hour by 2025. After 2025, this legislation indexes future increases to the minimum wage, to increases in the median wage so that the alue does not erode over time. It gradually phases out the subminimum wages to ensure that tipped workers, youth workers, and workers with disabilities are paid the full federal minimum wage. The benefits of this legislation are significant and widespread. Economic analysis estimates that the raise the wage act would increase wages for up to 33 million workers and lift millions 1. 3 million americans out of poverty. The raise the wage act is not just good for workers, its good for the economy. While republicans while the republican tax bill gave the largest benefits to corporations and the wealthy, this bill puts money directly into the hands of workers who will spend that money in their communities. So today is an historic day. For the first time in more than 12 years, the house is voting to restore the value of the federal minimum wage and restore the value of work in america. I ask my colleagues to support the raise the wage act and i reserve the balance of my time. Ms. Foxx this is an unnecessary bill that puts Party Politics above the best interests of American Workers and their families. Increasing the federal minimum wage by 107 is a harmful and unprecedented mandate that would result in millions of job losses for vulnerable americans, Small Business closures, and significant damage to the u. S. Economy. Detailed study study estimates a 15 minimum wage would cause up to 3. 7 million lost jobs. 3. 7 million jobs. One job lost is too many. 3. 7 million jobs lost is unconscionable. Those hurt the most by this bill would be female workers, Young Workers and those with less than a high school diploma. In our Committee Earlier this a r, we heard testimony from restaurant worker from seattle, washington, where the minimum wage has already been raised to 15 per hour. Simone said that after the city of seattle raised the minimum wage, her employer moved her from standard tip line to a Service Charge model, which resulted in her taking home less pay. Small businesses will also suffer if this far left policy is implemented. Without the cash reserves or Profit Margins to absorb the increase in labor costs, Small Businesses will have a choice of several bad options. Among their choices are laying off workers, raising prices on their customers, replacing workers withrow bots, or going out of business with robots or going out of business. The National Federation of independent business estimates that businesses with fewer than 500 employees will account for 57 of job losses and businesses with fewer than 100 employees will account for 43 of job losses. Still, my democrat colleagues are trying to sell this radical wage hike by claiming it will redistribute wealth and provide poor americans with a, quote, living wage, end quote. Yet the c. B. O. Predicts that by 2025 there will be a 9 million net reduction in Family Income, resulting from a 15 minimum wage. This socalled raise would reduce pay for Many American families. Lets not forget the u. S. Economy is booming. And lesser skilled workers are benefiting. Earlier this month the wall street journal reported that wages are rising at the fastest rate in a decade for lowerskilled workers, and unemployment among less educated americans and minorities is near a record low. And we know from the latest jobs report that progrowth policies like the republican tax cuts and jobs act, and eliminating unnecessary regulations, are raising wages, adding jobs and reducing unemployment. With 7. 3 million unfilled jobs nationwide, job creators know they must offer a competitive wage offer competitive wages and benefits to attract and retain workers. So it is bewildering that democrats refuse to acknowledge or celebrate the victories of our present economy and continue to call for socialist policies. Instead, they want to pass this illadvised legislation which would wreak havoc on the economic progress we have achieved over the last few years. The cost of living in new york city is much higher than the cost of living in my hometown in North Carolina. With such disparities in the cost of living across the country, mandating a onesizefitsall wage hike will cause job losses and harm entry level workers in many regions around the country. Even president obamas former chairman of economic advisors, alan krueger, argued in october, 2015, that raising the minimum wage to 15 would put us in Uncharted Waters and risk undesirable and unintended consequences. H. R. 582 is deeply irresponsible. Workers, families, Small Businesses and the u. S. Economy will suffer as a direct result of this drastic mandate. Mr. Speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. The gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott mr. Speaker, i remind my colleague that her vote against this bill is a vote to deny about 37 of workers in her district in North Carolina a raise of 3,800 a year. Now, i yield one minute to the gentlelady from oregon, the chair of the education and labor subcommittee on civil rights and Human Services, ms. Bonamici. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Ms. Bonamici thank you, mr. Speaker. And thank you, chairman scott, for yielding. The federal minimum wage has been stagnant for too long. Exacerbating income inequality and leaving working families behind. A recent study from the national lowincome Housing Coalition found that someone working 40 hours a week, who is earning the federal minimum wage, or the prevailing state minimum wage, cannot afford a two bedroom rental home at Fair Market Rent in any state, metropolitan area, or county in the country. Workers working full time should be able to afford basic needs like food, housing, health care, and child care. Today we can support working families by passing the raise the wage act. This bill will gradually raise the minimum wage to 15 an hour by 2025 and make sure that work workers use an , tipped workers, youth and others are paid. Raising the federal minimum wage to 15 an hour would benefit close to 27,000 workers just in northwest oregon alone. The raise the wage act is good for workers and good for the economy. I thank chairman scott for his leadership. I urge my colleagues to support the bill and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield two minutes to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Thompson. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Thompson thank you, chairman. Thank you, i thank the chairwoman from North Carolina for yielding. Mr. Speaker, i certainly rise in favor of upper mobility upward mobility. I rise in favor of greater opportunity. But this bill doesnt do that. I rise in opposition to this underlying bill. Mr. Speaker, increasing the federal minimum wage by 107 is an extreme and unprecedented policy that will have a severe and negative impact on Many American families, our nations work force, our economy, and once again, most importantly, hardworking american families. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, if enact this legislation would cause approximately 3. 7 million workers, so lets take that, extrapolate that to families across this nation, to lose their jobs by 2025. My home state of pennsylvania is estimated at more than 120,000 individuals, thereby families, would be negatively impacted, the loss of their jobs. Thats not upward mobility. Thats downward mobility. The majority of americans, 54 , think losing up to 3. 7 million jobs, mr. Speaker, for a 15 minimum wage is not a good idea. And 42 of families with a minimum wage earner would see a net reduction in total Family Income under the 15 minimum wage. Thats according to the Congressional Budget Office. I am for policies that will give them the tools necessary to get family sustaining jobs. Weve done that in this body. Its working. We should enhance workforce development. We passed the strengthening Technical Education act. The president signed that bill into law and were working diligently with the states to ensure theyre doing Everything Possible to fill the 7. 5 open obs in 7. 5 million open jobs in this country. We need to ensure that enhanced job Training Programs so we are not talking about a minimum wage but rather arming individuals with the skills to compete and earn we will above the minimum wage. Mr. Speaker the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Does the gentlelady have an additional minute . Ms. Foxx i give you 20 seconds. Mr. Thompson 63 of americans support our leadership expanding pathways to greater opportunity through c. T. E. The better way. Now, i want everyone who is willing to work with in this country to succeed, but this legislation is not the answer. I encourage my colleagues to oppose the bill. We can talk after this debate so we can get to work on legislation to make sure job seekers have the skills to compete and succeed in the modern workforce. Thank you, mr. Speaker. With that i yield. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i say his vote would deny workers in his district an average wage of 3,300 a year, and i yield one minute to the chair of the committee on veterans affairs, the gentleman from california, mr. Takano. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Takano thank you for yielding, mr. Chairman. I wish to submit i ask unanimous consent to submit a letter from the National Employment law project. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Takano for support. I rise in support of h. R. 582, the raise the wage act. There is currently no place in america where a worker making 7. 25 per hour can afford a two bedroom apartment. Millions are struggling to make ends meet. As one of the richest countries in the world we should be ashamed. This would give 27 million workers a raise and lift 1. 3 Million People out of poverty. Helping lowincome workers is long overdue. Contrary to what my republican colleagues have said, raising the minimum wage is popular. Voters in california, arkansas, missouri have voter to increase their state minimum wages. Congress has the opportunity to restore the value of work, lift families out of poverty, and ensure a fair wage workers everywhere in america. I urge all my colleagues to vote in support of workers and families by supporting the raise the wage act. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield two minutes to the distinguished gentleman from South Carolina, mr. Rice. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Rice mr. Speaker, the democrats assault on Rural America continues. The Congressional Budget Office estimates if this minimum wage law were enacted, up to 3. 7 million jobs in america would vanish. And what areas would lose the most . Obviously the areas with the most minimum wage jobs, rural areas. You see, these areas have a much lower cost of living. You can rent an apartment for 500 per month instead of 3,000 per month in san francisco, where nancy pelosi is from. Food costs are lower. Taxes are lower. Utilities are lower. An American Family can have a comfortable living on half what it takes than san francisco, seattle, or new york. A 15 minimum wage would cost these poor Rural Counties thousands of jobs. Even blue state oregon recognized this fact when it adopted a tiered minimum wage with one rate for urban areas and another for suburban and another for rural. I represent three poor South Carolina counties, marian, dillon, marshalboro. These are majority africanamerican and suffered stagnation over a lost decade due to the stifling overreach of the obama administration. After tax reform and regulatory reform, these poor counties are finally recovering. Two years ago when donald trump took office, the Unemployment Rate in marian county was 9. 6 . Today its 4. 6 . What a turnaround, and yet, even in the face of this, democrats havent learned their lesson and want to return to the days of big government, big regulation overreach that will hurt these poor Rural Counties the most. Everyone is concerned about income inequality. Heres a suggestion. Stop complaining and actually do something about it. Lets Work Together to fix our broken immigration system. Hundreds of thousands of Illegal Immigrants aliens cross our southern border every year. This limitless supply of cheap labor steals from our children and holds down wages for the hardworking, lawabiding americans. The most effective or most vulnerable at the bottom of the income ladder. Particularly those in rural areas. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Rice 20 seconds. Ms. Foxx i yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Rice harvard professor george estimates competition from lowskilled immigrants have reduced the american lower middle class wages by 800 to 1,500 yearly. Stop the endless flow of illegal labor and watch wages rise. For once, lets put the American Worker first. For once, lets put america first. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott thank you, mr. Speaker. I remind my colleague that a vote his vote against this bill is a vote to deny about 41 of the workers in his district in South Carolina. A raise of about 3,800 a year. Mr. Speaker, i yield one minute to the chair of the health, education, labor, and pension subcommittee, the gentlelady from florida, ms. Wilson. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Wilson thank you, mr. Chair. I ask unanimous consent to add to the record a letter in support of h. R. 582, the raise the wage act of 2019, from the u. S. Womens chamber of commerce. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Ms. Wilson it is a moral that millions of people in this country are forced to work so hard it is immoral that millions of people in this country are forced to work so hard for little. Congress knows because theres a serious bipartisan movement afoot to provide members of congress with the cost of living raise. Congress realizes that they do not earn enough and hopefully they realize that people earning 7. 50 an hour are definitely not earning enough. So today, i call on cnn, msnbc, fox news to let the American People know that we are attempting to raise the minimum wage. Calling from the loudest bully pulpit that you have. Listen to chairman scott and my colleagues and share them. News outlets all over america, you have a responsibility to let the American People know that we hear them. We support them, and we understand, were doing our very, very best to help them. We are fighting for them. Raise the wage, colleagues. Raise the wage today. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. I now yield two minutes to the gentleman from tennessee, dr. Roe. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Roe thank you, i rise to encourage my colleagues to vote against h. R. 582, called the raise the wage act, which is another more than another baseless attack on President Trumps successful record. Just this week House Democrats voted to hold the president s advisors in contempt and many voted to impeach the president. Today theyre working to undo the economic gains seen under the trump administrations leadership and undermine the best economy in my lifetime. This legislation will arbitrarily double the federal minimum wage to 15 an hour despite plenty of evidence that employers are fairly compensating employees. This bill will hurt the very lowincome people House Democrats claim they want to help by reducing Employment Opportunity and hours. In fact, c. B. O. Estimated this legislation will cost the American Economy up to 3. 7 million jobs and reduce real wages by 9. 5 billion. I offered a bipartisan amendment to prevent this bill from taking effect unless the g. A. O. Could show this legislation would eliminate fewer than 200,000 jobs in Rural America, where i live. House democrats wouldnt even allow a debate. Just in tennessee, this bill is predicted to eliminate more than 66,000 jobs, roughly the size of my hometown, which is the largest city in my district. In 2016, seattles minimum wage increased to 13 an hour. 2 shy of what the House Democrats are proposing today, and its reduced hours for lowincome jobs. If legislation like this is hurting large areas like seattle, it will have an even worse impact on Rural America. Look, i think my colleagues across the aisle said the states can raise. They know their local economies better than we do here in washington. I urge my democratic colleagues to work with republicans to implement policies to give every american the tools to seek higher paying jobs and once again, encourage my colleagues to vote against h. R. 582, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott mr. Speaker, i remind my colleague that his vote against this bill is a vote to deny about 41 of the workers in his district in tennessee, an average raise of about 3,700 a year. I yield two minutes to the chair of the subcommittee on workforce protections, the gentlelady from North Carolina, ms. Adams. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Adams i thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to join my colleagues in strong support of h. R. 582, the raise the wage act. Ive been fighting for working families for three decades now. From the state house in North Carolina to here in the u. S. House. I led the successful effort in my state to raise the states minimum wage in 2006 from 5. 15 to 6. 15 an hour. Then, in 2009, the federal government raised the wage to 7. 25. That was 12 years ago. The minimum wage hasnt increased since. Only the cost of living has increased. Folks working full time, earning the minimum wage arent making enough to feed their families and thats not acceptable. No one working full time should live in poverty. Working hard is not enough if you dont make enough. Thats why im a proud supporter of h. R. 582, the raise the wage act. The raise the wage act would increase wages for 150,000 people in my district in North Carolina. Its not just good for workers, its good for the economy, and unlike the g. O. P. Tax code tax cuts which benefited corporations and the wealthy, this bill will put money in the pockets of hardworking americans who spend it in the local economy. My friends on the other side of the aisle will use outdated and misleading data to say it will kill jobs, but the most comprehensive and recent Research Shows no job loss in cities that have already raised the wage to 15. The American People are with us on this. A vast majority supports raising the minimum wage. You know folks cant survive on 7. 25. We dont have to do that in congress. My folks on the other side, youre making six figures. Can you survive on 7. 25 . Do whats right. America needs a raise. Join me in voting for this bill. Give the American People a long overdue raise. Before i yield id like to insert into the record a letter from 100 economists in support of the 15 minimum wage, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore without objection. The gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. I do agree with one thing one of our colleagues across the aisle said a few minutes ago. We do need to let the American People know what this house is about to do. Kill millions of jobs. The c. B. O. s estimate was at 1. 3 million jobs would be lost, minimum. Of those jobs lost, 60 would be female workers. 46 would be Young Workers. And 38 would have less than a high school diploma. These are the people that our colleagues claim they care about. However, what they want to do here today is harm those very people. So i think it is important that we let the American People understand what this legislation does. I now yield one minute and 30 seconds to the gentleman from michigan, mr. Walberg. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Walberg thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today in opposition to h. R. 582, better known as the raising unemployment for American Workers act. The bills desired outcome may be wellintentioned and youll hear hypothetical numbers from my good friend and chairman of the committee assuming jobs are kept, which they wont be. In reality, it will cause harm to the very people its supposed to help. Just ask the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. According to a c. B. O. Analysis of this legislation, it could eliminate up to 3. 7 million jobs with the minimum wage increase but the loss of 3. 7 million jobs and reduce Family Income by 9 billion. Lowincome workers without a High School Degree would be hit hardest. Weve seen the realworld consequences of a 15 minimum wage in cities like seattle. It resulted in Small Businesses cutting jobs and workers receiving fewer hours and overall takehome pay. Instead of a onesizefitsall approach, there is a better way to boost income for hardworking families. Lets focus on policies that keep our economy thriving and create more opportunities for all americans to find goodpaying, living wage jobs that allow advancements as well, not just minimum wage, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott i remind my colleague, his vote against this bill deny 3s2 of the workers in his district in michigan an average raise of 2,300. And the c. B. O. Report that he cited, three of the most recent studies cited in that report show an actual increase in jobs, not a decrease. I yield one minute to the cochair of the progressive caucus, the gentlelady who can talk specifically about seattle, representative jayapal. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Jayapal thank you, mr. Speaker. And thank you, mr. Chairman. This is a big day. Today we pass the first minimum wage increase for workers in decades, and, yes, i am proud to represent seattle, a leader in the fight for 15, where i served on the committee that actually drafted the legislation that passed ultimately. Its been four years since seattle raised the wage and i want to tell my colleagues across the aisle what the effect of that increase has been. Seattle is flourishing. Today we have one of the lowest Unemployment Rates in the country. And jobs are growing steadily. Last year forbes ranked seattle the number one best place for business and careers in 2018. And despite the doom and gloom predictions from the National Restaurant association when we passed the bill, what we have seen is what the Seattle Times called a crazy restaurant boom, thats a quote, with new jobs created every year. The most recent and credible Research Shows that wages for seattles lowwage workers went up without any negative impact on employment. And local food prices remain constant, so families can better afford to buy healthy food. When we increase the minimum wage in seattle, mr. Chairman, we got strong businesses, Healthy Families and flourishing communities. All American Workers deserve the same thing. Lets raise the wage today. Hank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. As our colleagues have noted, states and localities may enact higher minimum wages than the federal minimum wage, and there are examples of that. But lets leave freedom in the hands of the people. In the hands of the states. Thats what this government, thats what this country is all about. In socialist regimes, all decisions are made by a small group of people at a central government. That is not the american way. Mr. Speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Kelly. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Kelly i thank the gentlelady from North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, i think dates matter and i think votes matter and i think that sometimes because of where we are, this is kind of this amnesia and we say, we want to raise peoples wages, we want to create jobs, we want to be able to do things that lift every single boat. Because thats what a rising tide does. Its not a democrat tide, its not a republican tide, its a rising tide for the American People. I just want to remind my colleagues in december of 2017, not one of you was onboard with the tax cuts and jobs act. You could not vote for it in the house, you could not vote for it in the senate. And we come here today and we talk about minimum wage and raising minimum wages. And i would just suggest to you that america is not about minimals. Nobody comes to america because i may get a minimum wage increase. They come to america because of maximum opportunity. Why would we dwell on a minimum wage when you had the chance in december of 2017 to lift all boats . Why would we turn our back at an opportunity to completely change the economy of the United States . Why would we turn our back on workers who had not been employed for many years, and we sit today with millions of open jobs, and we dont have enough workers to fill them, what are we talking about today . Were trying to right a wrong, we are trying to fix, somehow, a wrongheaded decision to vote against the tax cuts and jobs act, and a lot of had it to do not because we were republicans but because we have somebody in the white house that we just dont like. And my god, if we do something that lifts the hopes of all americans and the wishes of all americans and donald trump gets credit for it, that just wont work in 2020. I would ask my friends on the other side, if you really, if you really want to see america soar, stop putting road blocks in the way. Stop standing in the way of hardworking american taxpayers who could care less what your political affiliation is. But watch the legislation thats paw that you passed, but more importantly, the legislation you passed on. I would remind you, i know youre going to tell me the average wages in pennsylvania. Those wages are only available if you get hired. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Members are reminded to address their remarks to the chair. The gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott thank you, mr. Speaker. As the gentleman has suggested, his vote against the bill is a vote to deny about 43 of the workers in his district in pennsylvania an average raise of 3,900 a year, while the tax bill that he supported, 80 of the benefits of that bill went to the top 1 and corporations. Mr. Speaker, i yield one minute to the House Majority leader, the gentleman from maryland, mr. Hoyer. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Hoyer i thank the gentleman for yielding. I like the gentleman from pennsylvania. He and i are friends. We disagree. I proudly voted against the tax bill, which i think, despite the deficit, and we had a continuation of the extraordinary growth of jobs and the economy under the obama administration, and thats continued in a straightline. Idnt spike up, straightline. Mr. Speaker, i rise in strong support of the raise the wage act. This is direct, not indirect, not trickledown, direct. Saying to some of the people who worked hardest and could make the least, were going to help. We think what you do is valuable to our community and to our society. We need to make certain that wages keep pace with the cost of living. We havent done that. 10 years, we havent given a raise. We need to value the labor that our people contribute into the economy. Thats why we have a federal minimum wage. To ensure that everyone who works hard fulltime ought to e able to afford, not simply to get by, but to try to get ahead. Ive heard from many in my district who have told me that increasing the minimum wage will have a major impact on their incomes and their lives. Donna makes the minimum wage of 10. 10. And he supplements his income with farming on his land. Hes 60 years old and looking ahead to retirement, knowing that a higher minimum wage in his final years of working will go a long way toward giving him and his wife retirement security. Delano is an Environmental Service aide at a hospital center. He earns 12. 85 an hour. If we pass this bill, hell get an income boost through the years to help him and his family get ahead. Victoria victor started his career as a nonunion day labor, barely making a living. Now he has a Union Construction job and hes earning better pay. He wrote to ask me to support a higher minimum wage so that others who were working with him and havent found better jobs can get the same Economic Security he now has. Weve referreded to 33 million, whatever that number is, between 27 million and 33 million, going to get a raise by this bill. That didnt happen in the tax bill. Some of the richest people in america got a huge increase. But not the average working guy. And gal. In june we marked 10 years since the last minimum wage increase went into effect. The longest period without an increase since the minimum wage was first introduced under Franklin Roosevelts new deal. I was proud to bring legislation to the floor in 2007 to raise the minimum wage, the last Time Congress did so. And im proud to do it again today. This is long overdue. Something the previous republican majority should have made a priority, but failed to accomplish. Today lowincome workers in our economy are getting a bad deal. The minimum wage that doesnt even allow many workers to get by, let alone get ahead. Working 40 hours and living in poverty. Thats not a successful American Economy because 10 years have passed without an increase. Workers stuck earning the current minimum wage of just 7. 25 an hour have effectively received a 17 pay cut over the last 10 years. Thats why the house will vote today on the raise the wage act. Which will gradually raise the federal minimum wage to 15 an hour by 2025. Six years from now. This bill also eliminates the subminimum wage for those with disabilities, which will ensure their equal pay and the ability to live with independence. Many states and municipalities have already raised their minimum wages to this level and its not caused the dire consequences that some on the other side of the aisle have predicted. My home state of maryland took action earlier this year to raise the minimum wage to 15 an hour. Im proud of that fact. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has determined that raising the minimum wage to 15 an hour would lift 1. 3 million americans directly out of poverty. Isnt that a good thing to do . Doesnt that make you feel better, that were helping to lift people out of poverty . And the Economic Policy institute says that doing so would cause wages to go up for 33 million americans. Thats good for them. But i suggest as well, its good for our economy, and its good for all of us. Because it will help grow the economy. Make folks more independent. Make them feel better about themselves and about what theyre doing. We campaigned on a promise to raise wages and make sure that American Workers can access all the opportunities that make the American Dream possible. Thats what we are doing today. And i thank chairman bobby scott and democrats on the education and Labor Committee for their hard work on this legislation. We said we were going to raise the wage. Today were going to raise the wage. Its the right thing to do. I urge every member to support t. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Speaker Pelosi promised that a 15 minimum wage hike would be passed by the house in the first 100 hours of this congress. So its not surprising that seven months later, the rules committee send a managers amendment to add a modest amount of extra time for Small Businesses to feel the full effect of this bill. Also, our colleague has said that this will lift 1. 3 Million People out of poverty. T its also going to knock 3. 7 Million People out of jobs. So, lets keep it all in perspective. I now yield one minute and 30 seconds to the gentleman from georgia, mr. Allen. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Kawhi leonard thank you, chairwoman mr. Allen thank you, chairwoman. And thank you, mr. Speaker. You know, i think its laughable to for anybody in this house to say that the governments going to raise your wakes wages. Government doesnt raise wages. What the government does is provide an environment for businesses to raise wages. And thats where the decision should be. And its laughable to me that members of Congress Actually believe that theyre going to raise the wages of people in this country. By this legislation. The Congressional Budget Office recently released a report saying that almost four million jobs could be lost if this legislation were implemented. I remind my colleagues that we had an eightyear war on business and guess what, in 2016 we said, that war is over. America is open for business. With georgia being the number one state to do business in for the past six years, this damaging federal mandate would reverse all of the great work our state has done to grow jobs and the economy. And im telling you, were getting it done in georgia. But i dont want maryland to determine what georgias going to do and i dont want seattle to determine what georgias going to do. As a businessman i know that our economy is all about supply and demand and with more job openings than job seekers, wages are going to go up. You have to pay more to keep talent. Its supply and demand, folks. In fact, in 2018 wages and salaries saw the largest increase in more than a decade, thanks to the economic environment led by the Republicanled Congress and President Trump that has spurred Economic Growth and prosperity. Last thing we need are more onesizefitsall washington mandates that lead to job cuts, cut workers hours for automation, and shut the doors of our nations Small Businesses. And i urge a no vote on this legislation. Thank you, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott his vote will deny 40 of his workers in georgia, a raise of about 3,800 a year. I dont think theyre laughing about that. Mr. Speaker, i yield two minutes to the cochair of the progressive caucus, the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. Pocan. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Pocan thank you, mr. Speaker. Id like to thank mr. Scott for that. I do find it interesting to sit and listen to a debate today where people who make 174,000 a year and half of which are millionaires are telling people they should be satisfied trying to exist on 15,000 a year, which is the very reason were here today, to try to raise the wage for 33 Million People, a quarter of the workforce, in this country. No family in the United States can live on 7. 25 an hour and make ends meet. In my home state of wisconsin, youd have to work 93 hours a week at minimum wage in order to afford a modest twobedroom apartment, and theres not a single county in the country where a worker earning the minimum wage can afford a twobedroom apartment. I come to congress with three decades as a Small Business owner. Small Business Owners know they are workers are our ustomers, neighbors. In rural areas, workers only have a handful of employment options. If the primary employer in a rural town is a multibilliondollar Corporation Like walmart, they can afford to pay their workers 15 an hour instead of holding down wages for the entire community. Congress recently set a new record for the longest stretch in u. S. History without a hike in the minimum wage, 10 years. Its long past due we show workers respect by putting more money in their pockets and support this bill. Mr. Speaker, id ask unanimous consent to include a letter from the united food and commercial workers into the record. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Pocan thank you. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. I now yield two minutes to the gentleman from alabama, mr. Byrne. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Byrne mr. Speaker, i rise today in opposition to h. R. 582. This bill would cause disruptive job losses and harm entrylevel workers in many regions around the country, effectively knocking the bottom wrung off the career ladder and especially hurting Young Workers. Last monday c. B. O. Issued a longawaited study which estimates up to 3. 7 million jobs will be lost from a 15 minimum wage with a median estimate of 1. 3 million jobs lost. That includes 44,000 jobs would be lost in my home state of alabama, and those under 21 will suffer half those job losses. Comparing those numbers with the reports estimate that only 1. 3 million individuals will be lifted out of poverty, h. R. 582 would cause at least one job to be lost for every person who moved out of poverty. C. B. O. s highimpact scenario, as many as three jobs will be lost for every individual moving out of poverty. This is not a tradeoff that congress should ask americas workers and Small Businesses to make. I especially dont think we should ask our Young Workers to make it. Significantly, c. B. O. Also found there would be a reduction in real Family Income by 2025 of 9 billion, effectively reducing pay for Many American families. Remember, wages are currently on the rise thanks to a booming economy. The republican tax cuts and jobs act and President Trumps focus on reducing wasteful eliminations. With 7. 3 million unfilled jobs nationwide, job creators know they must offer competitive wages and benefits to attract and retain workers. And 29 states already have a minimum wage higher than the federal floor. Instead of providing tangible benefits to working class americans, h. R. 582 would cause the most harm to the very people its supporters claim to help. I urge my colleagues to oppose it, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott mr. Speaker, i remind my colleague that his vote against this bill is a vote to deny about 37 of the workers in his district in alabama, an average wage of about 3,700 a year. Mr. Speaker, i yield one minute to a distinguished member of the committee on education and labor, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. Norcross. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Norcross id like to thank bobby scott for making sure that we finally, after 11 years, will have a vote to raise the minimum wage. This is america. You play by the rules, you work hard, you are supposed to be able to make it. But thats not the way it is. Less than two years ago, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle made sure that the top 1 got their raise as theyre stepping on the American Worker. Todays the day that we set the record straight and give opportunity to those who need it the most. Henry ford said it, make sure you pay your employees enough money so they can buy your product and services. Thats the true case of whats going on here today. You give a raise to the people who need it the most to survive, not to invest overseas. Theyll spend it right in their neighborhood going to the supermarket, the drugstore. They shouldnt have to make the decision whether or not to put clothes on their kids backs or to feed them, but thats whats going on today. Those in the top 1 got their raise. Its time that those who work hard and have the dignity of a job get their raise. I yield back the balance of my time, but before i do that, id like to put into the record a letter from the united steelworkers. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Norcross thank you. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. You know, our colleagues say all the time that we need to help the people at the bottom of the ladder. Those are exactly the people who are being helped by the republican policies that were enacted in the first two years of this administration. We are seeing people at the bottom get the highest percentage increase, so that is already being done. Its because of regulations being reduced and the tax cuts and jobs act. I now yield two minutes to the distinguished gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Smucker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Smucker thank you, madam chair. Thank you, mr. Speaker. When i was a teenager at 14 years old, one of my first jobs was serving as a dishwasher at smoke town family restaurant. I had no previous work experience, but the owner took a chance on me. Certainly didnt receive a great wage, but it was a starting point, and the lessons that i learned in that job were lessons that i used during my entire career. Went on after high school to buy a small Construction Company, operated it for 25 years, creating familysustaining jobs for hundreds of individuals. Today, my 16yearold son serves food in a Skilled Nursing center after school at a wage of 9 an hour. Hes very thrilled with that. Again, learning the skills, the people skills needed, learning to show up to work on time. One of the best indicators of success in a career is whether or not you had a job during high school. This bill unfortunately would rob many of the opportunity to hold that first job. C. B. O. Specifically said 3. 7 million jobs lost as a result of this bill. Our friends on the other side of the aisle are not talking about that aspect of the bill. Theres no question here about the desire to see every individual that we represent have the opportunity to live the American Dream. The idea the previous speaker just said, the idea you can work hard, play by the rules, and you can live your dream. The question is the prescription, and its a fundamental choice. Its a choice of believing in our Free Enterprise system, believing in our Economic System that has created more opportunity than ever before in the history of the world or believing in more government control. Today, someone can apply at the Construction Company that i operated for many years 15 seconds. The speaker pro tempore i yield the gentleman an additional 20 seconds. Mr. Smucker today, someone can apply at that company and have no experience and start at 16 an hour. That want a government prescription. That is the Free Enterprise system at work. Im very, very proud as a result of the work that weve done over the last two years, the tax reform act, for the first time were seeing wages rise. Again, its not as a result of a bill like this, which would have exactly the opposite effect on that ability to achieve upward mobility. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i remind my colleague that his vote against the bill is a vote to deny about 34 of the workers in his district in pennsylvania, an average wage of 3,200 and wages for lowincome workers have been going up but only because states and localities have been increasing the minimum wage just like this bill does. Mr. Speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from michigan, the vice chair of the education and Labor Committee, mr. Levin. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Levin thank you, mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a letter to all members of the house from the aflcio. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Levin thank you. I want to thank chairman bobby scott for your incredible leadership on this bill, and i rise in strong support of the raise the wage act. I would remind the previous speaker and the gentleman from georgia that we are proposing precisely zero more regulation than exists. In fact, the federal government has set a minimum wage in this country since 1938. All the great growth years of this economy. Were just saying that the rate should be sensible. I came to washington to raise the standard of living for working people in michigans ninth district and all across this country, and thats exactly what this bill does. Working a fulltime job should guarantee you can provide for your family, and the 7. 25 an hour minimum wage doesnt cut it, especially while worker productivity has increased exponentially and executive salaries have skyrocketed. The gentlewoman from North Carolina said the c. B. O. Scores set a minimum of 1. 3 million jobs would be lost. I want to correct the record. They said a minimum of zero would be the median projection is that 1. 3 million might be. I want to remind all of my colleagues in 2018, the bureau f labor statistics said that 7,769,000 workers were working multiple jobs because one job didnt cut it. It didnt pay enough for them. And thats almost certainly an undercount, according to all experts. If just one in five of those people being forced to work multiple jobs could quit their second, third job because one job paid enough, that would take care of 1. 6 million jobs we wouldnt need because workers were being paid a living wage. We waited more than 10 years to give families a raise, and i can tell you people of michigans ninth district have waited long enough. I urge all my colleagues to support this historic legislation, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. Ill reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves. The gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott mr. Speaker, i yield one minute to the distinguished speaker of the United States house of representatives, the gentlelady from california, speaker nancy pelosi. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. The speaker thank you very much, mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him for his extraordinary leadership, historic, really, giving us in opportunity today to do something very special for the American People, for americas working families. This is an historic day. Yes, because we are raising the minimum wage here in the house of representatives, because we are channeling the energy of so many people across the country for fairness in the workplace, ut it also happens to be the 171st anniversary of the seneca falls convention. The seneca falls shook the world when they had that convention with the simple proclamation that all men and women are created equal. This bill achieves that equality, giving nearly 20 million working women, that is nearly 1 3 of all working women, a raise, and it helps narrow the gender wage gap that disproportionately targets women of color, putting more money in the pockets of more than 1 3 of working women of color. For a day wake up of jubilation because of the sense of fairness this legislation engenders. We wake up with a smile on our face, showing the world with all the love in our hearts and that love in our hearts is about fairness for the American People. Its interesting to note, mr. Chairman, that as has been acknowledged, i heard congressman levin mention and others as well, its been 10 years since the federal minimum wage was raised, in the previous democratic majority, and had been 11 years before then when we passed it in 2007, and it was signed by was signed by president bush. So it was bipartisan and we were thrilled about that. But its interesting to see what has happened in the time since then. While families work hard to make ends meet, the cost of living has surged to unsustainable highs, inflation has eaten nearly 20 of their wages, and the g. O. P. Special interest agenda has left them far behind. I mentioned that this is about equality for women. Its also about 30 Million People in our country getting a raise. 30 Million People. And so many people being lifted out of poverty. I talked about 2007, thats when we passed it first in the house. It took a little more time for it to be law, going through the senate and the rest. But when we passed it, and we were so thrilled, knowing that the president would sign it, we ad a big rally outside the capitol. As soon as the rally was finished, senator ted kennedy, who had been a really important part of the Senate Action on the raising the minimum wage, he said, you know what we have to do now, we have to raise the minimum wage. We always have to be anticipating and having injecting fairness all the time. We must never stop fighting to honor the dignity of work and push forward for working families and women, again, affected so drastically in all of this. The American Workers deserve a raise. No one can live with dignity on a 7. 25 per hour wage. Can you . The raise the wage act honors workers, supports families, as i say, giving 33 million americans a long overdue raise, and lifting many out of poverty. The bill grows our economy and creates economy, increases families purchasing power and drives Economic Growth that lifts up all communities. Consumer confidence of americas working families is an important element in growing our economy. And it brings our country, our democracy, closer to the founding ideals of holding the bedrock idea of fairness in our country, that hard work deserves a decent wage. I urge strong bipartisan vote for this victory for working families and for america, because every member of this institution should be fighting to put more money in the pockets of workers in their communities. Again, i thank chairman scott and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. I will continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. The gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i yield two minutes to the distinguished member of the committee on education and labor, the gentleman from maryland, mr. Trone. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Trone mr. Speaker, i rise in support of the raise the wage act. Id like to submit for the record a letter signed by over 1,000 businesses to support a fair minimum wage. I have a unique perspective on this issue. I was a businessman. Before i ran for congress, i founded a Small Business with just a few employees. Now i own a business with over 7,000 employees in 25 states. At my company, we understand that if you take care of your team members, by paying them a living wage, theyll take care of our customers and our business will do better because of it. Everyone wins. Everyone wins. This isnt hypothetical for me. My business operates in many cities like seattle, with a 15 minimum wage. When the laws changed, we didnt cut jobs and our business did not suffer. Quite the opposite. When we raise the wage we see 1. 3 million americans lifted out of poverty. 600,000 of which are children. We see families who can afford their rent, their health care, and other necessities, and we see a stronger economy. We raise the wage we see a win for business, a win for working families and a win for our economy. I want to thank chairman scott for his leadership on this critically important issue, and i urge my colleagues to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield two minutes to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Perry. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Perry thank you, madam chair, and, mr. Speaker. I started, like many folks did, working when i was a young man. People have Different Reasons for seeking employment. I needed to get out of the house because things were happening in the house. I didnt have any skills. I rode my bike to a farm nearby and i picked fruit. I didnt make minimum wage because i couldnt pick fruit fast enough because i didnt have the skills to do that when i was 13 years old, but i learned to show up on time with a good attitude. Thats a valuable thing. Thats where we start out. But that job wouldnt have been available if this, if this minimum wage, 15, enacted from the federal level would have forced that employer to make a choice whether they hired me or hired somebody else. Right . And i wanted i didnt want to make the minimum wage. I wanted to make the maximum wage. But i had to have some skills. The next job i got still wasnt minimum wage, but i worked hard and then i had the skill of showing up on time with a good attitude and i kept on doing better and better and better for myself because the jobs were available. Mr. Speaker, if this legislation is enacted, young people and people at the bottom of the economic spectrum that were trying to help are not going to have the opportunity and thats what this is really about in america, is having the opportunity. A minimum wage requirement from the federal level doesnt draw any distinctions between los angeles and a great little town in pennsylvania that im privileged to represent. It doesnt draw a distinction between chicago or scheyermanstown. It says they all have to do the same thing. Dover or new york. All the same wage, really . I dont have tall skyscrapers in central pennsylvania like they do in new york city, chicago, and l. A. But i got hardworking people that want the opportunity thats provided by the market. There are 7 1 2 million jobs open right now and the market is providing the wages to incentivize people to come to them and you have an opportunity to go to another job and make even more under the free market, the federal government is going to stifle at with this 15 an hour minimum wage. I urge us not to vote for this bill. I thank the chairman and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i remind my colleague that his vote against this bill is a vote to deny about 35 of the workers in his district in pennsylvania an average raise of about 3,200 a year. Mr. Speaker, i now yield one minute to the distinguished member of the committee on education and labor, the gentlelady from pennsylvania, ms. Wild. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Wild thank you, mr. Speaker. There should not be anybody in 7. 25 an arguing that hour is sufficient for a workers wellbeing. When adjusted for inflation, 7. 25 is less than the federal minimum wage of 50 years ago. I support this bill because 98,000 workers in my district in pennsylvania deserve a long overdue raise. We are now in the midst of the longest period of time without an increase to the federal minimum wage. I support this bill because while corporations are making record profitses profits off the backs of workers, wage stagnation and increased cost of living have bankrupted hardworking families across my district. This bill would increase the minimum wage gradually. This is not a bad for business piece of legislation, as my colleagues across the aisle allege. Its a good for everyone bill that puts more money into our workers pockets. Our colleagues of the past would be baffled by the opposition to this bill. May i have 30 more seconds, sir . Mr. Scott i give the lady 30 seconds more. Ms. Wild thank you. The federal labor standards act was passed in 1938 for the explicit purpose of protecting workers from substandard wages. And that landmark bill passed the house by a vote of 29189. By the letter of that larbgs the minimum standard of living of that law, the minimum standard of living of a workers wellbeing is in congress hands. They chose not to leave it up to Market Forces because Poverty Level wages, sweatshops and poor working conditions should not happen in the United States of america. In 1938 or in 2019. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. Wright. Mr. Wright i thank the gentlelady. Mr. Speaker, i rise in opposition to h. R. 582, the raise the wage act, or as it should be called, raising unemployment for American Workers act. I was disappointed to hear the democratic members on the rules committee failed to make my amendment in order. The amendment prohibited h. R. 582 from going into effect if the Government Accountability office found that over 500,000 jobs would be lost to automation as a direct result of this legislation. A very reasonable, very reasonable amendment. This amendment was intended to make sure that in seeking to improve economic outcome for workers, especially lower wage and lesser skilled workers, we dont adopt policies that have the opposite effect. This radical legislation would more than double the federal minimum wage. The largest ever increase since its creation. The recent Congressional Budget Office report on this bill paints a bleak picture of the consequences if it ever becomes law. When fully implemented, this legislation will result in as any as 3. 7 million, almost 270,000 from the state of texas , jobs lost. Across the country, total real Family Income would drop by 9 billion. At a time when the economy is expanding, wages are rising above inflation, and unemployment is the lowest its been in decades, we should be considering should not be considering a job killing, income reducing legislation. The negative impacts of such a disastrous bill would be felt in highincome urban areas but they would be even more severe in lower income, rural areas. The Economic Conditions of navarro county, texas in my district, texas, in my district, where the Median Income is 45,000 a year, are not the same as san francisco, where the Median Income is more than double that. A federally mandated doubling of the minimum wage would burden these people and businesses, forcing them to cut hours, let employees go, and close business doors. My colleagues across the aisle like to point the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Wright may i have 30 more seconds . Ms. Foxx i give the gentleman 15 more seconds. Mr. Wright my colleagues across the aisle like to point to the number of people to be lifted out of poverty, but consistently fail to acknowledge that the same number of americans are expected to lose their jobs. It seems to me that this bill is a sweet deal, but only if you get to keep your job, wand that i yield back. Thank you and with that, i yield back. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott thank you, mr. Speaker. Can i inquire as to how much time is left on both sides. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from virginia has 10 1 2 minutes. The gentlewoman from North Carolina has 2 1 2 minutes. Mr. Scott thank you. Mr. Speaker, i want to remind my colleague from texas that the vote against this bill is a vote to deny about 30 of the workers in his district in texas a raise of 3,800 a year, and also point out that the same c. B. O. Report that he cited cites the three most recent studies showing a number showing the number of jobs will go up as a direct result of the passage of this bill, and 27 Million People getting a raise. Mr. Speaker, i yield one minute to a distinguished member of the committee on education and labor, the gentlelady from massachusetts, mrs. Trahan. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Mrs. Trahan i ask unanimous consent to submit this letter from Womens Community groups in support of this legislation. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mrs. Trahan thank you, mr. Chairman. I rise today to urge my colleagues to give more than 33 million deserving americans a raise. By voting for the raise the wage act. I want to commend chairman scott and his staff for their outstanding work to get us to this point. The current federal minimum wage rate hasnt bubbled in a decade budged in a decade. But basic costs have and they have dramatically. Its an affront to basic fairness and an intolerable condition for families working hard, yet falling further and further behind. They live on a razors edge, facing impossible choices. Paying the rent or the car, buying diapers and formula for their children, or medication for themselves, cutting a check for a Student Loan Debt payment, or the doctors visit. Today a single mother with two children working full time at 7. 25 an hour is living well below the federal poverty line. We can fix that by voting to give her a raise. Lets do the same for the rest of america by passing the raise the wage act. Its long overdue. Thank you, mr. Chairman, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. Ill reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves. The gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i yield two minutes to the chair of the committee on Small Business, the gentlelady from new york, ms. Velazquez. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Velazquez thank you, mr. Speaker. I am from new york, and i rise in support of the raise the wage act of 2019, for workers in my district and workers everywhere, particularly Rural America. The wage act of 2019, a long overdue minimum wage increase that will lift wages for millions of americans and boost the Small Business economy. Today, under the current federal minimum wage of just 7 25 per hour, American Work 7. 25 per hour, American Workers are living on the margin. They spend their nights at the dinner table having to decide whether to spend money for their Childs School trip or to have groceries for the week. We must ensure that our workers can make a good living and have a good life. Poll after poll shows that Small Business owners could afford raising the minimum wage. This is because doing so has proven to help small firms better retain employees who in turn are more productive and higher performing. Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous onsent to submit a letter from businesses who support the minimum wage for the record. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Ms. Velazquez take it from the words of rebecca hamilton, a c. E. O. She has a small cosmetic company in New Hampshire. She said, quote, paying a living wage is a core part of our culture and has helped us hire and retain excellent people even in a time when other businesses have struggled. And we have heard businesses that started out small, such as the of popular restaurant, a pizza company, attributed their fast growing success of paying fair wages while maintaining competitive prices. Small Companies Make up 99 of u. S. Employers, and nearly 70 of our Economic Activity comes from consumer spending. By raising the minimum wage the speaker pro tempore the gentlewomans time has expired. Mr. Scott mr. Speaker, i yield the gentlelady 30 seconds. Ms. Velazquez by raising the minimum wage, we can help put money back into consumers pockets, injecting new life to our main street and our economy. I yield back the balance of my time, and i ask everyone to support this important bill. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself one minute. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. As my colleagues from georgia said, the democrats want to make the American People think that they, as agents of the federal government, are giving them something by raising this minimum wage. That is not true. Small businesses, families, workers and the economy at large will all suffer debilitating loss if this bill is passed, forcing our nations raise the minimum not help elp the the people they allege to help. Workers and employers are punished by these risky schemes. Apparently, House Democrats have missed the fact that wages are already on the rise. With unemployment near a 50year low, the competition for employees is driving wages up. Instead of stifling our booming economy by forcing employers to implement a crippling mandated wage hike, we should advance legislation that empowers communities, creates opportunities and opens doors for workers. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves. Ms. Foxx i yielded back what was left of my minute, and i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves. The gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i yield one minute to the chair of the labor, health, and Human Services subcommittee of the appropriations committee, the gentlelady from connecticut, ms. Delauro. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Delauro mr. Speaker, lets be clear. Since franklin roosevelt, the federal government and the government has been increasing the federal wage. Dont let them get away with this hogwash about what we do and what we dont do here. You know, wages for the top 1 have grown 150 since 1979. Wages for middleclass families, working families have stagnated. Their wages do not keep up with the skyrocketing cost of health care, prescription drugs, childcare, housing, a college education. This is the single biggest economic challenge of our time. So today, fulltime, yearround work at the federal minimum wage of 7. 25 leaves a family of three below the federal poverty line. Unacceptable because working people have more than earned a raise. According to the Economic Policy institute, if the minimum wage increased equal to the increases in workers productivity, it would be more than 20 an hour. Congress needs to make this right. Clearly, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle do not respect the work of 34 million americans. They dont respect the dignity of the work that these folks do. Its our job. Let us pass the raise the minimum wage act. Working people are doing their job. Let us do ours. I ask unanimous consent to introduce in the record a etter from the a. F. T. , the federation of teachers. The speaker pro tempore without objection. The gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx ill reserve, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves. The gentleman from virginia. Mr. T mr. Chair chair, i yield one minute to the gentlelady from california, ms. Lee. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Ms. Lee thank you. Let me first thank chairman scott for yielding, for your tireless, your incredible and brilliant leadership. I ask unanimous consent, first, to insert into the record a letter from the Leadership Conference on civil and human rights expressing their strong support for h. R. 582. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Ms. Lee mr. Speaker, i rise in strong support of this bill, raise the wage act. This critical bill would increase the minimum wage to 15 an hour and give 33 million workers a raise, including 16 Million People of color who are disproportionately paid poverty wages. Whats more, it would lift 1. 3 million americans out of poverty. Mr. Speaker, this bill is long overdue. The current minimum wage of 7. 25 is a poverty wage. Plain and simple. I, too, am a former Business Owner with hundreds of employees who saw firsthand how productivity was achieved and increased by paying good wages. These poverty wages must end for everyone. Homelessness is rising. People cant afford to pay their rent. They are living on the edge. No one in the richest nation on earth should be struggling like this, working two and three jobs just to survive. Mr. Speaker, i have been proud to have joined my Union Brothers and sisters, along with attorney general of minnesota, former cochair of the progressive caucus, Keith Ellison excuse me and my Union Brothers and sisters on picket lines and rallies and in marches and the fight for 15. I want to thank them for their bold and committed leadership. When we fight we win. I urge a yes vote on raising the wage to 15 an hour. Thank you, again, chairman scott, for your leadership. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx ill continue to reserve, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves. The gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott thank you, mr. Speaker. Can i inquire, again, as to the time remaining on both sides . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman has 4 3 4 minutes. The gentlewoman from North Carolina has 1 1 2. Mr. Scott mr. Chair, i yield two minutes to the chair of the joint economic committee, the gentlelady from new york, mrs. Maloney. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Mr. Speaker, i rise in strong support of raise the wage act, which will raise the federal minimum wage to 15 per hour by 2025, and i ask unanimous consent to place in the record a letter signed by many youth organizations in support. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mrs. Maloney the minimum wage has been stuck at . 25 for the past 10 7. 25 for the past 10 years. The cost of housing, food, childcare, all of this, education has risen higher and higher, but the minimum wage has been stuck. This week, the joint economic committee, where i serve as vice chair, released a report on the federal minimum wage, and it begins with this chart. It shows that in 1968, a fulltime worker working year round at minimum wage would take home roughly 21,000 a year. Now, 15 years later, a worker working full time, minimum wage, earns only 15,000 a year in the same dollar, a loss of er 6,000 in real 2018 dollars. This is a 30 drop, a fulltime worker earning 7. 25 minimum wage earns roughly 1,250 per month. Thats not enough to cover even half of the Monthly Expenses of an average family, which totals roughly 3,000. Its not enough to live on, let alone to support a family. Now, some critics say the minimum wage is earned mostly by teenagers, but thats wrong. More than half of those working at our below the minimum wage are above 25 years of age. And it ignores the fact that the typical minimum wage worker earns half of their familys income. As a result, boosting the wage will support millions of children and families across our nation. Workers with more money in their pockets will spend it, stimulating the economy, and its important to ending the gender gap because half the people working in minimum wage are women. May i have 10 seconds more . Mr. Scott i yield 10 seconds. Mrs. Maloney i want to applaud bobby scott mr. Scott i yield the gentleman as much the gentlelady as much time. Mrs. Maloney i urge a very strong vote on this to support the minimum wage and to get millions of workers the raise they so justly deserve, over 33 million americans deserve this raise. This chart shows it all. I yield back. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx i compliment my colleague on his sense of humor, and i reserve my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott i thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i yield one minute to the gentlelady from texas, the leader on the judiciary committee, ms. Jackson lee. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee i thank the gentleman for his leadership. This is for the children. Can you believe that this is a minimum wage increase over six years and you hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, can you believe this will allow Small Businesses to go in gradually and then provide all of these dollars into the economy . This is for the children. I just heard a mother who works for mcdonalds who cannot provide for her children and is on food stamps. 41. 3 of those in my district will benefit in texas in the 18th district. This will help the gender gap, but more importantly, it will benefit 1 million whose parents will get a raise. It will increase worker productivity by incentivizing people to work harder and reduce the gender gap as women make up a disproportionate share of minimum wage workers and reduce the rate at which renters default on their leases by giving families more money to spend on their household budgets. Apartment complexes, local stores, local clothing stores, churches, nonprofits benefit from the generosity of individuals who now have a decent wage. I am standing with working people and unions. I am standing with the American People and 41. 3 of my district. Let us raise the minimum wage. That is the right thing to do. It is for our children. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. I will reserve until such time as my colleagues ready to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves. Mr. Scott mr. Speaker, im prepared to close. Im prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i do take offense at anyone who characterizes republicans as not caring about children, not caring about women, not caring about people of color, not caring about people in poverty. We care for all people, too, mr. Speaker. And i want to make that very clear. We will disagree philosophically, but we care about people, and we love our fellow americans. Democrats continue to point the fingers of potential wage increases in our congressional districts, but not once have they acknowledged that c. B. O. Estimates as many as three jobs could be lost for every one person pulled out of poverty. So will the democrats who vote for this bill come to our congressional districts and answer for the jobs lost . Will they look at the women, young people, and those without a High School Degree who will face the brunt of the job losses from this bill in our congressional districts . The harm inflicted by this bill far outweighs the benefits. We should not inflict that pain on our constituents just to satisfy a far left, socialist, political promise. The economy is growing, wages are rising and opportunities are increasing. We should not dampen this progress with any kind of policy. I urge my colleagues to oppose this costly jobkilling bill and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Scott thank you, mr. Speaker. Before i yield myself the additional time, i would like to ask unanimous consent to submit letters from the following organizations in support of the raise the wage act. National employment loss project cosigned by 500 other organizations, acme National Womens law center, Lawyers Committee for civil rights under law, National Urban league, disability coalition, health care groups, Interreligious Working Group on domestic human needs, First Focus Campaign for children, Network Lobby for catholic social justice, oxfam, americans for democratic action, National Employment lawyers association, and a recent article in politico by reverend william barber. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Scott i yield myself the balance of the time and could the chair tell me how much that time is . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman has a minute and a half. Mr. Scott thank you. Mr. Speaker, i yield myself the balance of the time. Just to say that youth workers, they should not be paid less for the same work by anyone else. My colleagues have pointed out there might be a 9 billion loss in income. According to the c. B. O. , that comes from families making more 232,000 a year. Families making less than that will get an imcrease in pay. Mr. Speaker, i want to thank all of my colleagues, including members of the committee on education and labor, and representatives across the nation who have been sprumetal instrumental in advancing this legislation. But most of all, i want to recognize the workers and communities across the country who stood up and demanded a fair days pay for a fair days work. Some of them with us today, fighters for workers and others from across the country. I also want to acknowledge a Broad Coalition of business support, including businesses for fair minimum wage, and the u. S. Womens chamber of commerce , proposals to increase the minimum wage are always met with the same baseless predictions that weve heard today, opponents cried wolf in 1930s, and we should not fear the impact of putting money in workers pockets or, as president roosevelt said in a fireside chat way back in 1938, he said, do not let any calamityhowling executive with an income of 1,000 a day tell you that a wage of 11 a week is going to have disastrous effects on all american industry. I urge my colleagues to take that advice, pass the raise the wage act, and give a raise to 33 million americans, a raise thats long overdue. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. All time for debate on the bill has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition . Mr. Ohalleran mr. Chair, i have an amendment at the desk. The chair the speaker pro tempore the clerk will designate the amendment. The clerk amendment number 1 printed in part b of house report 116155 offered by mr. Ohalleran of arizona. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to House Resolution 492, the gentleman from arizona, mr. Ohalleran, and a member opposed will each control five minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona. Mr. Ohalleran thank you. This prudent, commonsense amendment is necessary to ensure that once this legislation is passed it has the positive effects we intended. I strongly support the raise the wage act and i believe that it will positively Impact Communities nationwide and lift families out of poverty. The state of arizona and my constituents in the First District voted overwhelmingly to raise the minimum wage in 2016. It is currently 11 per hour. During this implementation of this minimum wage increase, arizona has seen a 4. 3 growth in state g. D. P. , the third Fastest Growing economy in the nation. We have seen in arizona that increasing the wage pays off for our economy and our families. My amendment will only strengthen the underlying bill. It requires an independent, objective analysis of the economic and employment impacts of this legislation. It would require the Government Accountability office to submit a report to the congress on the effects of the first two wage increases in the legislation. Specifically, the g. A. O. Must report on the effects on Small Businesses and wages, and compensation. The report also includes an analysis of the laws effects on urbanized and rural areas. Importantly, this amendment would require a g. A. O. To consult various stakeholders and experts when developing its report. These would include Small Business owners, labor economists, agricultural workers, the food service industry, and states and local government. It would allow constituents to provide their input on how their families, businesses and communities have been affected. This thoughtful, datadriven approach will allow us to see the real impacts of this legislation. I believe as lawmakers we do the best job of responding to the needs of our constituents when we are best informed. I want to thank the cosponsors of the amendment, the education and Labor Committee for working with us, and the rules committee for making this amendment in order. And i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from North Carolina seek recognition . Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. I claim time in opposition to the amendment. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for five minutes. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may dume consume. A hot economy is leading to higher wages. Theres 7. 3 unfill unfulfilled jobs, which puts workers in a good position to get higher wages. Weve seen robust wage growth for nearly a year in all categories. Unfortunately this amendment does nothing to prevent the egative impacts of h. R. 582. Calling this amendment a fig leaf is an insult to fig leaves. First, the amendment requires that g. A. O. Study only, only the effects of the first two of the seven wage hikes in h. R. 582, rather than the actual affect of the bill, which is increasing the minimum wage by 107 to 15 an hour, and indexing the wage rate forever after that. As my colleagues well know, the first two wage hikes in the bill will not be as damaging as the increase to 15. So the results of the proposed g. A. O. Study are rigged to avoid using the damaging 107 hike as the appropriate benchmark. Second, this amendment has no teeth. It merely says that congress can make recommendations after the first two wage hikes have gone into effect. Give me a break. But theres no requirement that congress do anything in response to these recommendations. And theres no Fast Track Authority in this amendment. Third, we already have in our possession a recent detailed and highly credible study of the effects of 107 wage hike to the current federal minimum wake. Wage. With regard to g. A. O. Studies, at the education and Labor Committee, a markup of h. R. 582 in march, chairman scott already dismissed the effectiveness and conclusions of a potential g. A. O. Report that might show job loss. Explaining his opposition to a proposed g. A. O. Study, mr. Scott said, this amendment suggests there will be job loss. All the studies show otherwise. I urge my colleagues to see this amendment for what it is, an attempt to provide political cover to Democrat Members who are justifiably concerned about the negative impact of a 15 federal minimum wage in their districts. Vote no on this amendment and no on h. R. 582. And i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. The gentleman from arizona. Mr. Ohalleran mr. Speaker, i yield one minute of my time to my colleague from california, mr. Cox. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Cox mr. Speaker, i rise today in strong support of the amendment to the raise the wage act. I joined this amendment to look out for the Small Businesses, the agriculture albieses that are so vital to the Central Valley of california and to our nation. The minimum wage hasnt been raised since 2009 and the decades since, due to inflation and rising costs, the paychecks of millions of hardworking americans naturally dont go as far as they used to. Every worker deserves a living wage. And this amendment ensures that we can give at least 17 million americans a raise while also protecting farms and Small Businesses. We do this by requiring the Government Accountability office to analyze and produce a study the impact of the first two scheduled wage increases on our nations Small Businesses, our ag industry and our workers. The study will consider the specific effects of raising the minimum wage in each census tracked in rural area. So families like those i serve in the Central Valley of california arent left behind. If we find the negative impacts are too great, the relevant committees are required to make recommendations to congress. Which may include the actions necessary to delay the next scheduled increases if necessary. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. As i said earlier, the chairman of the education and Labor Committee already has a low opinion of these types of studies and his mind is made up of a 15 federal minimum wage. This amendment sets up a rigged process in which House Democrat leaders who already support a 107 hike will decide whether to move forward with it. Theres no doubt how they will decide. Congressman grijalva agrees with chairman scott. Hes quoted in a july 15 article in the hill regarding the amendments proposed study. Its almost prefunkry. Look at what we did. So i dont think its consequential, but i dont think its needed either. Well, this amendment is not necessary. Let the democrats vote for the 15 wage hike and take the consequences of it. Stop trying to provide political cover for yourself with this amendment which does absolutely nothing. I reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. The gentleman from arizona. Mr. Ohalleran mr. Speaker, how much time . The speaker pro tempore each side has a minute and a half. Mr. Ohalleran thank you. Just want to point out that the discussion in committee, and chairman scotts comments were not about this bill. They were about another bill. To identify that the people of this congress, the members of this congress do not need data in which to make further decisions, i hope we dont get to that point in the time in congress. And i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from north arolina. Ms. Foxx mr. Speaker, my understanding is i am allowed to close, so i will reserve until the other side is ready to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is correct. The gentleman from arizona. Mr. Ohalleran thank you, mr. Speaker. I just want to thank the committee, chairman scott, for all the hard work hes done. And i want to look forward to a time in america that we can see a time when the working families of america can partake in the economy as others do today. Thank you. I yield. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. I will say again to our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, there is no group of people more than the republicans on this side of the aisle who care about working families and who work every day for the philosophies that will support those working families. And again, all other groups. Let me say again, the amendment requires the g. A. O. Study