HB 1086 - An amendment to the 'A Real Living Wage Act' (Passed To President)

[OneJ]

I have to say, I'm in favor of this bill for the most part. The wage is sizable enough in my opinion and I also agree with abolishing the tipped rate. My only concern is that what about certain areas that may need to have a lower wage than the rest of Atlasia?

[OneJ]

I motion a final vote on this bill.

[OneJ]

Aye

[OneJ]

President DFW,

I respect your service that you have done for the Republic of Atlasia thus far and I am very aware that we don't agree on everything. Your decision to veto this bill is just one of the many disagreements we have my friend.

Increasing the minimum wage will help push people out of poverty. Let's say for example that a person that is working full time at a federal minimum wage of $7.25 earns $15,080 a year. It is 20% higher than the 2015 federal poverty level of $12,331 for a one-person household under 65 years of age but is 8% below the 2015 federal poverty level of $16,337 for a single-parent family with a child under 18 years of age. According to a 2014 Congressional Budget office report, increasing the minimum wage to $9 would lift 300,000 people out of poverty. A 2013 study by University of Massachusetts at Amherst economist Arindragit Dube, PhD, estimated that increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 is "projected to reduce the number of non-elderly people in poverty by around 4.6 million people, or by 6.8 million people when longer term effects are accounted for."

A minimum wage increase would help to reduce gender and racial equality. For example, women in a country might represent 47% of the total workforce, yet they make up 63% of minimum wage workers. Blacks represent 12% of the workforce, but the are 17.7% of minimum wage workers. Latinos comprise 16% of the total workforce, but make up 21.5% of all workers making minimum wage. The median income for women is 78% of the national median income, blacks make 67% of the national median income, and Latinos make 79% of the national median income.

Increasing the minimum wage would have a ripple effect, raising the incomes of individuals who make slightly above the minimum wage already. Melissa S. Kearney, PhD, and Benjamin Harris, PhD, of the Brookings Institution found that increasing the minimum wage would result in higher wages not only for the 3.7 million people earning incomes but also for up to 35 million workers who make up to 150% of the federal minimum wage. Researchers at the White House Council of Economic Affairs (CEA) found that an increase to $10.10 an hour would raise wages for 28 million people--about nine million of those due to the "ripple effect."

In the meantime, I have opposition against your action and hope you do reconsider. If I could, I would likely override the decision since Blair is no longer a Representative.

[OneJ]

Well, I'll rest my case then.