,i  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #abb  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,january #c1         
#bjbe,mr4 ,green of ,texas introduced   
the following bill2 which was referred  
to the ,committee on ,education and     
,workforce  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend the    
,fair ,labor ,standards ,act to provide 
for the calculation of the minimum wage 
based on the ,federal supplemental      
poverty threshold for a renter family of
 #d1 with #b children under the age of  
#ah1 as determined by the ,bureau of the
 ,census1 and for other purposes4  #a4  
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,original ,living ,american ,wage   
,act or the ,original ,,law ,act4  #b4  
,findings2 sense of ,congress  7a7      
,findings ,congress finds the following3
 7#a7 ,in #bjbb1 there were             
approximately #cg1ijj1jjj ,americans    
living in poverty who were denied access
 to opportunities due to income1        
housing1 education1 jobs1 and health    
care4  7#b7 ,a full-time worker earning 

the ,federal minimum wage earns an      
income that is just #bj above the       
,federal poverty line for a             
single-person household and #e1cfj below
 the poverty line for a two-person      
household4  7#c7 ,the average fair      
market rent for a #a-;bedroom apartment 
is more than #aaj 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    
wage1 which is the amount a person must 
earn to afford a #a-;bedroom apartment  
for the average rental price without    
spending more than #cj percent of their 
income4  7#e7 ,in #bjbc1 data from the  
,living ,wage ,calculator of the        
,massachusetts ,institute of ,technology
 indicated that the median average      
living wage across single adults and    

single adults with one child spanning   
all #ej ,states was #bf4ei per hour or  
approximately #dh1aed4di annually4  7b7 
,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of 
,congress that-- 7#a7 the ,federal      
minimum wage should1 at a minimum1 be   
adjusted any time that inflation rises  
to #e percent or above over #b          
consecutive years so that a wage        
earner's annual income will be not less 
than #dj percent above the ,supplemental
 ,poverty ,threshold for a renting      
family of #d1 as determined by the      
,bureau of ,labor ,statistics2  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 and  7,b7 by         
inserting at the end the following3     
7,d7 #aj4ei an hour1 beginning ,january 
#a1 #bjbf2  7,e7 #ad4ei an hour1        
beginning ,january #a1 #bjbg2  7,f7     
#ah4ei an hour1 beginning ,january #a1  
#bjbh2  7,g7 #bb4ei an hour1 beginning  
,january #a1 #bjbi2  7,h7 #bf4ei an     
hour1 beginning ,january #a1 #bjcj2 and 
7,i7 the amount determined by the       
,secretary under subsection 7b71        
beginning ,january #a1 #bjca4  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#c71 not later   
than ,october #a1 #bjcj1 and every #g   
years thereafter1 the ,secretary shall  
determine the minimum wage rate         
applicable under subsection 7a77#a7     

based on the formula described in       
paragraph 7#b74 ,the ,secretary shall   
publish such wage rate in the ,federal  
,register not later than ,november #a of
 each year in which a minimum wage rate 
is determined under this paragraph4     
7#b7 ,for the #g-year period beginning  
on ,january #a1 #bjca1 and each         
succeeding #g-year period1 the minimum  
wage rate determined by the ,secretary  
under paragraph 7#a7 shall be a minimum 
hourly wage sufficient for a person     
working for such wage for #a1gii hours  
per year to earn an annual income in an 
amount that is #dj percent higher than  
the ,federal supplemental poverty       
threshold for a renter family of #d1    
with two children under the age of #ah1 
as published by the ,bureau of ,labor   
,statistics for the year preceding the  
year in which the wage rate is being so 
determined4  7#c7 ,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 may not   
adjust the minimum wage rate so in      
effect4  4