HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 18
(By Delegates Brown, Amores, Caputo, Hartman,
Hrutkay, Overington, Sobonya and R. Thompson)
[Introduced January 16, 2006; referred to the
Committee on Rules.]
Urging the United States Congress to increase the federal minimum
wage.
Whereas,
The United States Congress last voted to increase the
federal minimum wage to $5.15 in 1997; and
Whereas, Since the inception of the minimum wage, there has
been only one other period (1981 to 1990) in which the minimum wage
has remained unchanged for more than eight years; and
Whereas, Over 2 million American workers are paid an hourly
wage at or below the federal minimum wage; and
Whereas, A disproportionately high number of older workers,
women and racial minorities are employed in those minimum wage and
sub-minimum wage jobs; and
Whereas, The annual earnings of a full-time minimum wage
worker are only one-third of the average annual wages of the
American worker, the lowest ratio since 1949; and
Whereas, Full-time minimum wage workers currently earn just $10,700 per year, which is $5,000 below the official poverty line
for a family of three; and
Whereas, A person making the minimum wage today would have to
work for the better part of an hour just to afford a single gallon
of milk or a gallon of gas; and
Whereas, For the first time, the annual cost of health care
premiums for a family of four has surpassed the annual income of a
minimum wage earner; and
Whereas, Once an adjustment for inflation is taken into
account, the purchasing power of the minimum wage has now declined
to its second lowest level since 1955; and
Whereas, It has not been proven, and has, in fact, been
disputed, that an increase in the federal minimum wage will result
in fewer jobs and higher consumer prices; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Legislature hereby urges the United States Congress
to increase the federal minimum wage; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates is
hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to West
Virginia's congressional delegation.