Committee Democrats Force Votes on Priority Legislation to Help Workers and Families, Republicans Reject Proposals
WASHINGTON—Committee Democrats today forced votes on multiple pieces of priority legislation to help workers and families during a committee markup of two union-busting Republican bills. As Committee Republicans focused on moving highly partisan bills with no hope of becoming law, senior committee Democrat Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) led efforts to pass legislation, including the Fair Minimum Wage Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and the Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act, through committee. The Republican majority, led by Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.), voted along strict party lines to block each of the pro-worker bills from being considered.
“Instead of focusing on anti-worker bills, this committee should be considering legislation that makes a real difference in peoples’ lives—legislation that creates jobs, safeguards Americans from discrimination, protects workers’ health and safety, and helps millions receive a fair wage,” said Miller. “Committee Democrats are fighting to put this committee—and the country—back on the right track by moving legislation that benefits millions of working Americans to the House floor for a vote. But once again, Republicans proved that they are more interested in stripping workers of their rights than they are in supporting families and growing our economy. They voted to block every attempt to take up these popular, bipartisan measures.”
The Republicans voted against consideration of the following critical measures:
The Fair Minimum Wage Act (H.R. 1010) will give hard-working Americans a long-overdue pay raise by increasing the national minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour, and indexing future annual increases to inflation thereafter. It would also gradually raise the minimum wage for tipped workers, which currently stands at just $2.13 per hour. It was introduced as an amendment by Representatives Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Tim Bishop (D-New York). Additionally, Miller offered a separate amendment that called for America’s lowest-wage workers to be paid at least $10.10 an hour. Republicans voted unanimously to reject that amendment as well.
The Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 377) will give women vital tools to fight wage discrimination and close the loopholes that have allowed employers to avoid responsibility for discriminatory pay. By giving women critical tools to fight pay discrimination and raising the wage floor so that they can afford to feed and clothe their families, we can go a long way to restoring the promise of the American dream. It was introduced as an amendment by Representatives Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.).
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 1755) will prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity by employers with at least 15 employees. Discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity goes against core American values. All Americans should have the opportunity to earn a living and provide for their families, and be judged based on their talents and job performance. It was introduced as an amendment by Representative Jared Polis (D-Colo.).
The Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act (H.R. 1373) will bring our nation’s mine health and safety laws up to date by giving the Mine Safety and Health Administration the ability to effectively protect miners’ lives, holding mine operators accountable for putting their workers in unnecessary danger, and strengthening whistleblower protections for miners who speak out about unsafe conditions. It was introduced as an amendment by Representative Miller.
“I am disheartened by my Republican colleagues, who remain opposed to helping the millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet,” said Miller. “We have only a few legislative weeks left in this Congress to bolster the economy and support American workers. Time is running short.”
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