,i  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #dhci  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,june #aa1 #bjad ,mr4
 ,al ,green of ,texas 7for himself1 ,mr4
 ,cleaver1 ,mr4 ,conyers1 ,mr4 ,honda1  
,mr4 ,lewis1 ,ms4 ,eddie ,bernice       
,johnson of ,texas1 ,ms4 ,lee of        
,california1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,ms4 ,bass1  
,mr4 ,bishop of ,georgia1 ,mr4          
,butterfield1 ,mr4 ,carson of ,indiana1 
,mrs4 ,christensen1 ,ms4 ,clarke of ,new
 ,york1 ,mr4 ,clay1 ,mr4 ,clyburn1 ,mr4 
,cummings1 ,mr4 ,danny ,k4 ,davis of    
,illinois1 ,mr4 ,ellison1 ,ms4 ,fudge1  
,ms4 ,jackson ,lee1 ,mr4 ,jeffries1 ,mr4
 ,johnson of ,georgia1 ,ms4 ,kelly of   
,illinois1 ,mr4 ,meeks1 ,ms4 ,moore1    
,mr4 ,payne1 ,mr4 ,rangel1 ,mr4 ,rush1  
,mr4 ,david ,scott of ,georgia1 ,mr4    
,thompson of ,mississippi1 ,mr4 ,veasey1
 ,ms4 ,waters1 ,ms4 ,wilson of ,florida1
 ,ms4 ,brown of ,florida1 and ,mr4      
,richmond7 introduced the following     
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,education and the        

,workforce  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend the    
,fair ,labor ,standards ,act to provide 
for the calculation of the minimum wage 
based on the ,federal poverty threshold 
for a family of #d1 as determined by the
 ,bureau of the ,census4  #a4 ,short    
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,original ,living ,wage ,act of #bjad4  
#b4 ,findings2 sense of ,congress  7a7  
,findings ,congress finds the following3
  7#a7 ,in #bjab1 there were over       
#df1ejj1jjj ,americans living in poverty
 who were separated from the            
opportunities of the ,nation by their   
income1 their housing1 and their access 
to education1 jobs1 and health care4    
7#b7 ,a full-time worker earning the    
,federal minimum wage earns an income   
below the ,federal poverty threshold for
 a family of #d1 consisting of #b adults
 and #b children4  7#c7 ,the average    
fair market rent for a #a-;bedroom      
apartment is more than #fe percent of   
the monthly income of a full-time worker
 earning the minimum wage4 ,in          

comparison1 the generally accepted      
definition of affordability is for a    
household to pay not more than #cj      
percent of its income on housing4  7#d7 
,two full-time workers earning the      
,federal minimum wage earn an income    
below the national housing wage for a   
#a-;bedroom apartment1 the amount a     
person needs to earn to afford a        
#a-;bedroom apartment at average rent4  
7b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense
 of ,congress that--  7#a7 the ,federal 
minimum wage should1 as a minimum1 be   
adjusted every #d years so that a person
 working for such a wage may earn an    
annual income that is not less than #ae 
percent higher than the ,federal poverty
 threshold for a family of #d1 as       
determined by the ,bureau of the        
,census2  7#b7 the minimum wage should  
be set at a level high enough to allow  
#b full-time minimum wage workers to    
earn an income above the national       
housing wage2 and  7#c7 ,congress1 any  
of the several ,states1 the ,district of

 ,columbia1 any territory or possession 
of the ,united ,states1 any ,indian     
tribe1 or any local or municipal        
government of a ,state may establish a  
higher minimum wage requirement than    
that established in this ,act4  #c4     
,minimum wage ,section #f of the ,fair  
,labor ,standards ,act of #aich 7#bi    
,u4,s4,c4 #bjf7 is amended--  7#a7 in   
subsection 7a77#a7--  7,a7 by striking  
and at the end of subparagraph 7,b72    
7,b7 by inserting and at the end of     
subparagraph 7,c72 and  7,c7 by         
inserting at the end the following3     
7,d7 not less than the amount determined
 by the ,secretary under subsection 7b71
 beginning ,september #a1 #bjad2  2 and 
7#b7 by redesignating subsection 7b7 as 
subsection 7c7 and inserting after      
subsection 7a7 the following3  7b7  7#a7
 ,subject to paragraph 7#b71 not later  
than ,june #a1 #bjad1 and once every #d 
years thereafter1 the ,secretary shall  
determine the minimum wage rate         
applicable under subsection 7a77#a7     

based on the formula described in       
paragraph 7#c74 ,the ,secretary shall   
publish such wage rate in the ,federal  
,register not later than ,october #a of 
each year4  7#b7 ,if the minimum wage   
rate determined by the ,secretary under 
paragraph 7#a7 would result in a lower  
minimum wage rate than the minimum wage 
rate in effect at the time of such      
determination1 the ,secretary shall not 
adjust1 pursuant to this subsection1 the
 minimum wage rate so in effect4  7#c7  
,the minimum wage rate determined by the
 ,secretary under paragraph 7#a7 shall  
be the minimum hourly wage sufficient   
for a person working for such wage for  
#dj hours per week1 #eb weeks per year1 
to earn an annual income in an amount   
that is #ae percent higher than the     
,federal poverty threshold for a family 
of #d1 with two children under the age  
of #ah1 and living in any of the #dh    
contiguous ,states1 as published by the 
,bureau of the ,census for the year in  
which the wage rate is being so         

determined4  4